What Rory Taught Me

"Fore!"  the caddy yelled out, as Rory McIlroy teed off on the final hole of his very first Masters Tournament.  Rory had been ahead since the first round, and was in the lead by four strokes at the end of the third round the day prior.  The final day, Sunday, had been a different story, though.  He had started off well, but not as good as the days before.  He was still in the lead after the front nine holes, but the nerves had gotten to him, and soon he was behind the leader by ten strokes, with only the last hole to go.  There was no way he was going to be able to regain the lead.  He was so close to perfection, and yet he had let it slip through his hands.  That weekend, the entire world knew who Rory McIlroy was and watched his mental breakdown unfold on the golf course in Augusta.  Many believed that was the end of Rory McIlroy.  They thought he was a 'choker' and he could not finish well when the pressure was on.  But today was a different day.  It had been two months since that fateful day in Georgia, and now Rory was back in the same position.  He had the lead going into the final round at another major golf tournament, the U.S. Open.  He knew that today would have a different outcome though.  He was not going to let the pressure get to him, but instead play the game the way he knew he could.

Rory McIlroy at the 2011 Masters

Every year on my birthday my dad would talk about how he was watching Tiger Woods win his first Masters tournament while I was being born.  Growing up, I thought, hmm, that's interesting, but I don't really care.  I was never into golf, nor did I care about who won the Masters the year I was born.  It didn't seem all that important to me.  Golf was something I watched at my grandparent's house when I wanted to take a nap.  Not a competitive sport that people could get into.  On my birthday in 2011 though, my opinion on golf changed.  I watched Rory McIlroy play his final round of the Masters, and watched him fail miserably.  He caught my attention, and for some reason, I couldn't turn away.  Even after the tournament was over, I continued to follow Rory's career and how he was doing throughout the season.  When it was time for the U.S. Open, I was scared that he would lose confidence again and lose this tournament as badly as he had lost the Masters.  Rory proved me wrong that day.  He ended up blowing away his competition with a lead of eight strokes over second place.  Not only was I hooked on golf from that day forward, but I also saw how people recover when they are faced with adversity.  Rory decided that he was not going to give up that day on the golf course, even though he knew most people thought he would fail.  He chose to overcome his problem, rather than let it control him and his thoughts.  Rory was able to work through his situation, and he became a better golfer because of it.  What Rory learned is not only applicable to golf, but also to life.  It's not about the difficulties that life hands us, but instead how we choose to overcome them.  And that defines who we are as people.

Rory McIlroy at the 2011 US Open