Rory McIlroy made three drastic decisions in the little over five minutes that passed from when he missed the par putt on the 18th hole of the US Open until he walked out the door of Pinehurst back home. Three decisions that leave lessons from which we can all learn something.
The first was to forget about golf. About the competition. It’s over. Saturation. He withdrew from the Travelers Championship that was played the following week and made the determination not to touch a club for a month. Or almost. At least, until the Thursday of the Scottish Open. That is, exactly 26 days.
The second was to change his phone number. He realised that he needed space when, in just over two minutes, after Bryson DeChambeau‘s victory was confirmed, he received between ten and fifteen messages from different journalists.
The third was to go to New York, to Manhattan. To isolate himself from the world. Hoodie, headphones and a walk around the big apple without being recognised. Just him and his thoughts.
He didn’t fulfil the first one. He was not able to go 26 days without touching a club. In fact, 4-5 days after finishing the US Open he was already thinking about hitting balls, training and preparing for the next tournament. He is eager to compete again. “I was very surprised. I really left Pinehurst not wanting to know anything about golf and four days later my body was already asking me to hit balls. Suddenly, the disappointment turned into motivation,” he says. The first lesson is that no harm lasts a hundred years. No matter how dark the moments are, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
As for the second, he did fulfil it. So much so that he didn’t get the message that Tiger Woods sent him showing his empathy, which led to a somewhat uncomfortable situation. “When Tiger has talked to me about the message now that we have seen each other, I was blank, I didn’t know what it was about and it’s not very pleasant being with Tiger. Then I explained it to him and we clarified it. I have nothing but words of gratitude towards Tiger. Already in 2022 he sent me a very affectionate message after the Open Championship at St Andrews. I find it incredible to have this relationship with someone who was on a poster on my bedroom wall. When I was a child I dreamed of meeting him and even competing against him. Not only have I achieved it, but I have also managed to become a close friend of his. A dream come true”. What we can learn from Rory in this sense is that, although it may seem like a drama, you can change your phone number without the world falling apart.
The day after falling at the US Open, Rory was walking around Manhattan. “It was a time for me, to meditate. It’s very nice to be walking around a city with so much hustle and bustle and where people go about their business without noticing others, they don’t recognise you,” he says. The third and final lesson is that there are still places where we can all get lost. If Rory can do it, who can’t.
As for the Open, McIlroy is prepared to finally break his Major drought. In August it will be exactly ten years without taking one to the mouth. If he has learned anything during this time, it is to give it the right importance. “I’m no longer bothered by being asked when the fifth Major of my career will come. I have accepted it and I understand it. It’s okay. I know that when I win the fifth, they will start asking about the sixth. That’s how it goes,” he warns.
