Rory's Glory (9 page)

Moreover, it was the fact that he was now a winner and as such, when he is in sight of breaking a record or winning some bonus on top of the event he is participating in, then he wants to add that as well. You could term it the ‘tiddlywinks factor'.

There was only one other tournament that mattered to Rory for the rest of the year, and that was coming up fast in less than three weeks. There was no playing for dollars or euros here – this was for pride and patriotism. It was the 39
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Ryder Cup at Medinah, Illinois.

That is a whole new chapter so in finishing out the bread and butter tour business for 2012, Rory's form held up very well and as the season drew to a close in Europe, he finished with even more success.

At the BMW Masters in China towards the end of October, he sparkled with four superb rounds of 67, 65, 69 and 67 for 20 under yet again. But he came up just short and was runner-up to Swede Peter Hanson. Rory collected a whopping second prize of €593,000!

Two weeks later it was back to Asia for the Singapore Open. An early round of -1, 70 really did the damage as Rory fell off the pace. But he finished strongly with rounds of 69 and a superb -6, 65 to finish third and collect another handsome cheque for just short of €300,000.

All the traveling and gargantuan efforts of the previous weeks and months eventually took their toll – or so one would have thought when he missed the cut in the Hong Kong Open the following week.

But at the World Tour Championship in Dubai exactly seven days later, and in his last event of the year, McIlroy triumphed yet again for his fifth win of a truly sensational season.

The rounds and the cumulative total just put the icing on the cake of what he had achieved throughout the year. 66, 67, 66 and 66 for 23 under was near perfection. He won by two shots from Justin Rose, with Donald and Schwartzel three shots adrift of Rose.

Some of those very players paid huge tributes to McIlroy after their rounds. South African Schwartzel stated: ‘Rory is playing like Tiger in his young days and it's amazing to see.'

Fellow countryman Louis Oosthuizen echoed similar sentiments: ‘Rory is probably playing the golf that Tiger was playing when he was on form.'

And Luke Donald really summed up what everyone felt when he added: ‘He showed a lot of grit and determination. It capped off an amazing year for him. Rory has been the best player all year. I think he'll be around for a long time.'

Both sides of the Atlantic echoed what Donald said.

After winning the US Tour Money List and the European Order of Merit, it was no surprise that he was also voted European Player of the Year as well as winning the PGA of America's Player of the Year and its Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average.

That Dubai pay day of €1,041,000 brought Rory's earnings on the European Tour alone to €5 million from 12 events played. His US Tour earnings amounted to a colossal $11 million - $8 million in tour money plus the Fedex bonus of $3 million.

However, those millions were nothing compared to the imminent multi-million dollar deal that Rory was expected to sign with Nike after he had rested up for Christmas, for the win in Dubai was his last as a Titleist player.

Decades from now when Rory puts his clubs away in the garage, he will look back on 2012 as one of the greatest years of his career.

H
e may have gone into the previous Ryder Cup in 2010 on the back of rash, immature and controversial remarks that he uttered in the past, but Rory McIlroy was now about to enter the bear pit of America's backyard with their full and unambiguous respect.

Professional golfers the length and breadth of the globe were doubtless in awe of this unbelievable talent. Furthermore, there is always a feeling in sport that if you're going to talk, or make controversial remarks, then back up your talk in the heat of competition.

Rory had done that. More than that, he had realised the inappropriateness and immaturity of his remarks about Tiger and the Cup being an exhibition. So rather than talk about them again – or dwell on it – he just forgot the talk, and he walked the walk.

The Holywood man was about to strutt into Medinah, outside Chicago, as a Ryder Cup treasure. He was winner of five events; winner of both money lists; winner of both Tours' ‘player of the year' and as world number one he was officially the best player on view.

This did not mean that the Americans had no ammunition of their own. Rory, after all, is only one man in a twelve man team. The USA had the all important home advantage which had proved so crucial to Europe on the last occasion in Wales 2010.

The likeable and very popular Jose Maria Olazabal was the new European Captain. Although it was officially announced on 18 January 2011, there was really no need to do so.

Thomas Bjorn echoed the situtaion when saying ‘it was the easiest decision ever'. In fact, it was so straightforward that the Ryder Cup Committee did not have to hold any meetings, nor did they feel any need to debate the matter.

From the outset, there was only one thing the Committee wanted to know from Olazabal – was his health holding up (he suffers from rheumatoid arthritis)? When he gave them a clean bill on that issue, the selection proccess was a formality.

It was an easy decision for one vital reason – he was the Vice Captain under Colin Montgomerie in the victorious 2010 team and he was seen to play a huge part in that win. Although captaincy was an altogether more demanding role, he was the only choice.

J M Olazabal therefore became only the third Continental European, and the second from Spain, to become a European Ryder Cup Captain, following in the paths of Severiano Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer. On his appointment he said:

Golf has been my life and representing Europe in the Ryder Cup has given me so much enjoyment, so to be named the European Ryder Cup captain is something very special and I am looking forward to the next 20 months before we reach Medinah.

A masterstroke was also played at his press conference when he cleared any potential trouble spots up ahead in the future, or indeed at the Ryder Cup itself. He showed that he was a pacifist and that sleeves would be rolled up for golf only, adding:

I've spent a lot of my career in America and the fans there have always been fair to me. We want to keep the Cup and that will be our priority but I know the American team will share with us the desire for this match to continue the fabulous tradition of the Ryder Cup with fair play and good sportsmanship as the vital ingredients.

With those very words he not only threw a protecting arm around his players, like Rory, and the American players, but he also laid to rest the ghosts of past ‘unsavoury' Ryder Cups involving the likes of himself, Sevy, Pavin, Lehman, Azinger, and indeed McIlroy.

‘Ollie', as he is affectionately known to all in golf, was not only a two-time major winner of the US Masters, to add to his Ryder Cup successes, he was also a real fighter with balls of fire.

Down through the years he had proved this as he forged a virtually indefatigible winning partnership with Severiano Ballesteros in many Ryder Cups. They had only lost two of 15 ties, so a long line of American team members wanted to avoid Seve and Ollie at all costs.

Apart from that steely will to win, on and off the course, Olazabal was determined right from the outset to bring into play the ‘spirit of Seve'. When Seve passed away four months later on 7 May the world of golf mourned and many, like Sam Torrance, wept openly.

As was only to be expected, Olazabal was affected most by the death of his close friend. They were like brothers. Even now, if Seve is brought up in conversation, his mood will dampen.

At his funeral, Jose Maria Olazabal was determined that the memory of Severiano Ballesteros would not be forgotten. Silently, there and then, he vowed to do everything to bring Seve's memory and spirit into play on behalf of the European team at Medinah.

It was to be a staggering and stunning ploy. But the real beauty of it was that it was not a tactic: it was a real tool to use. It was genuine. Where golfers or other athletes can use physical skill and intelligence to win, Ollie would use Seve's spirit. Plain and simple.

Short of suggesting that he was using seances and ouija boards for much needed guidance and inspiration from Seve, he would in actual fact use the hard earned experience of real grit, determination, fire and fight that he and Seve had shown.

At every opportunity he would use this first hand experience and instill it into each and every one of his players. It was not brainwashing or euphoria. Rather, it was a beautiful manual handed down from him and Seve of ‘how to win on the hot battlefield'.

In the meantime, and with fully a year and more to the big day, he had to monitor the progress of every European player at home and in the US. Then all the names had to be whittled down resulting in the announcement of his team and wildcards, totalling 12.

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Rory McIlroy 468.81; Luke Donald 363.4; Justin Rose 322.3; Lee Westwood 280.2; Graeme McDowell 262.62; Paul Lawrie 211.49; Sergio Garcia 200.85; Francesco Molinari 191.25; Peter Hanson 189.32 and Martin Kaymer 172.2.

They were the automatic Top 10 European players with Ryder Cup points who made it to Medinah. At his eagerly awaited press conference on 27
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August, 2012 to announce his full team, it only remained for him to name his wildcards. This is what he revealed:

Every one of you guessed Ian [Poulter] was going to be there for obvious reasons. He has a great Ryder Cup record, he was playing well – he had some issues earlier in the season, he got ill and he couldn't play as much – but he is cured and his attitude and spirit in the Ryder Cup team has always been great. He likes to be in that situation, it gets the best out of him playing in the Ryder Cup.

To finish, Nicolas Colsaerts became the first Belgian to be named in a Ryder Cup team. He was also the only rookie in the side which raised quite a few eyebrows. Explaining his decision to pick him, Olazabal said:

His matchplay record is very good. He also had a very solid season. On top of that he made the extra effort to try to make the team. He showed me he wanted to be part of the team.

Regarding some top players who failed to make it – including Padraig Harrington who was touted by some to be a ‘Captains pick' – Olazabal elaborated on the omission of the Dubliner saying:

I talked to him last night and I was very straight and to the point. I know he's tried hard but he was 19
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, just a little too far down the list. I know he's a great player. I'd love to have had him in the team as I'd also love to have had Casey, Karlsson, Stenson – great players – but you need to be playing good. It's as simple as that. I think he took it well.

Nicolas Colsaerts was thrilled and gave this memorable reaction:

This is something I've wanted since I was a kid – to be part of a big team with a captain with such a great history. It's something I'm very proud of. I'm living proof that if you want something badly it's only a matter of time if you put the work in. It's a fairy story.

Little did Ian Poulter know what lay in store for him at Medinah. The ‘obvious reasons' which Olazabal made reference to in his announcement lay in the fact that the Englishman had won seven of his eight previous Ryder Cup games. Poulter said: ‘I'm absolutely thrilled to have got the call last night from Jose. It was a great moment.'

American Captain Davis Love had a very strong looking American team. With the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson and Keegan Bradley, they seemed formidable.

Add to those names men like gritty Brandt Snedeker and Jason Dufner and they did not seem to have any weaknesses in the personnel department. It was easy to see why the bookmakers installed USA as the four to six favourites, with Europe at six to four.

Almost exactly a month later, battle commenced. Rory would stride into Medinah, making his second Ryder Cup appearance in the 38
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version of golf's greatest team event. It was also his Ryder Cup debut in America.

On the eve of the first day's play, Rory was asked about the American tactics. More to the point, he was asked his views on their tactics concerning who they would select to play against him in the foursomes. This was his reply:

Whoever wants to take me on they can take me on. I just want to get out and get a point for the team. Whether that means going out first, fourth or in the middle, it really doesn't make a difference to me and it doesn't make any difference who I play. I'm going to go out there and do my best and win that point. I don't think I have a bullseye on my back. This week I'm not the world number one – I'm one person in a 12 man team and that's it.

As it transpired, Rory was out first. Surprisingly, there was no Tiger Woods or Phil Mickeslon pitted against him and his usual playing partner, Graeme McDowell. Davis Love opted instead to put Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker out first.

Just what is it about this competition that, no matter what the authorities do to try to dampen down or prevent any potential hostilities or flash points, controversy is never too far away? We did not have long to wait for the first niggly and awkward moment.

On the second hole, McDowell had sought relief from a sprinkler head but Jim Furyk disagreed with him! A rules official had to be called for and he ultimately sided with the Americans, denying McDowell any relief.

The Americans went on to win the hole. Inwardly, the two Macs must have been livid and left somewhat embarrassed by being confronted. However, this is what Jim Furyk had to say about the incident afterwards:

I saw that he was going to get relief. I went over and when I looked to see where the ball was, it was a good – and I'm being conservative – four to five inches ahead of the sprinkler head. So they would get a big advantage by being able to drop the ball. He had a sticky lie and a very delicate chip and to be able to putt that ball would have been a huge advantage and I really didn't feel in any situation, whether it be matchplay or medal play that it could be deemed a drop. As I told Graeme and Rory, ‘I don't blame you for trying, for asking – ‘trying' is a bad word – for ‘asking'. Graeme then said to me ‘I thought it was 50/50 but you're entitled to your opinion'. I'm not trying to incite any tension or bother anyone but it's my job for my team mates and for my team to protect ourselves and the rules.