1 Part of Rory McIlroy’s celebration is the most special

Rory McIlroy knows that his journey to the 2025 Masters and his immortal journey to golf have wasted waves both inside and outside the golf world. He admitted a lot when he returned to the public eye of the Zurich Classic last month.

“I think people sometimes see themselves in the struggle and you try to make the most of everything you have in this journey,” McIlroy said in New Orleans. “I think people watch someone finally get the job done, something they’ve been trying to do for a decade, and I think that resonates with a lot of people.”

McIlroy’s 14-year Odyssey from the 2011 Master Crash to the 1980s in a Green Jacket is a story about ruthless beliefs, perseverance and the idea of ​​conquering oneself. His relevance as a human has made him a fan favorite over the years.

But while some people see themselves in McIlroy’s efforts to achieve his dreams, another part of his master resonates with me. He celebrated an invisible part. It happened a few days away, a few days away from the Augusta country.

***

Like McIlroy, I was an only child with two hardworking parents who did everything they could to put me on their shoulders and brought me closer to my dreams.

When I grew up, my dad built the honeycomb tower. He will spend three hours working on weekdays and go home on weekends to coach my baseball team, play golf with me and teach me how to drive. My mom, a special ED teacher, spends her off-get off work hours in my practice and games. My youth sports career is unfounded. Similarly, it expanded my worldview. I was lucky enough to travel the world – Uganda in Zimbabwe, Australia, to name just a few – because my parents wanted me.

When I approached college, they always made it clear that I would get their support, financially, no matter what my pursuit. As long as I do the job, they will be there to keep supporting me until I don’t need it. They helped me get my undergraduate degree, master’s degree Boston Global.

McIlroy’s parents Gerry and Rosie support their only children in a similar way. Rosie works on an assembly line at the 3m factory. Gerry manages a golf club locker room and leans towards a bar. Rory talked about how rarely his parents saw each other because they worked tirelessly to give their son a chance to realize their dreams.

The financial burden of elite amateur golf is well known. Rory plays around the world, and his parents do everything they can to ensure he can, to ensure there is no gift wasted and that passion can be pursued.

McIlroy released a decade of pain when he won the Masters and hit the green. Observers from all walks sympathize with a man who has finally realized his lifelong dream.

But McIlroy’s Augusta National Victory is missing something. There are moments where many people are eager to witness moments without separation. Gerry and Rosie are at home watching their son realize his life’s dream on TV. Like the hug given by Earl Woods after winning the 1997 Masters – it won’t happen in front of millions of viewers.

But that doesn’t mean Rosie and Gerry aren’t around him, because he’s soaked in his victory. Alone has a different connection with parents. You won’t spend your youth with your siblings. You spend time with your parents when you are not in school, practicing, or with friends. So even if you become an adult and have your own life, victory and failure, their existence always exists.

After McIlroy put on his new green coat and gave exciting words to his daughter Poppy, he jumped into the back of the shopping cart and asked for his phone number.

“I need to call my parents,” McIlroy said in a video posted after the victory.

A few days later, Rory, his wife Erica and Poppy landed in Belfast to celebrate the victory with Gerry and Rosie. This is the moment when mothers, fathers and their only children share the victory they all work hard and dream of accomplishing. A moment is more priceless than the green jacket that makes it possible.

“Like my dad, I’ve never been as excited as my dad,” McIlroy said before the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club. “Great. It’s great to see him. Then, when I met my mom, yes, we both had a mess for a few minutes.

“Look, as an only child, I have a bond. I’m lucky, I know a lot of people feel this, they have a close connection with their parents, but I think over time I’ll get bigger and bigger, I’ve become bigger and bigger, and I realize they won’t be there forever. It even means they can still see that I can see me fulfill these dreams and realize them.”

These words hit the house.

Unlike McIlroy, I can’t hit a 350-yard golf ball. Not even closed. But like McIlroy, I’m sure I’m the only kid with a rare bond with two parents who do everything they can to make sure I can have the best life. I think of my dad spending countless hours after a long few weeks working, my mom took me to travel around the world and they showed me endless support as I chased a dream and painted text on the page about sports.

When McIlroy talks about his moments with Rosie and Gerry, I think of the victory I celebrated with my father before he passed away, and I was lucky enough to still share it with my mom.

It would be a memorable TV moment to see Rory hug his parents on Augusta National. But in some ways, their time is a few miles away from the Augusta National, which is more appropriate, and it is a memory of them. It was the climax of a journey, back in Rory McIlroy Rory McIlroy. When he was just a boy from Holleywood, with a sweet swing, big dream, two parents were willing to do anything to achieve that.

Maybe Rosie and Gerry will be in the PGA Championship next week at the QuaN Hollow Club, or as Jordan Spieth says the “Rory McIlroy Country Club.” Or maybe they would watch their son chase the sixth largest major at home.

Either way, they will continue to attack golf history on McIlroy in person or in other ways. Parents like Rosie and Gerry (and mine) are always. That was their real gift.