Rory speaks to Piers Morgan

MORGAN: Very emotional scenes there. You won the U.S. Open and you walked to your dad and you hug him and you say, “Happy Father’s Day.” I mean I can’t think of many greater Father’s Day presents than that.

How did your dad react to this?

MCILROY: He was fantastic all week. He was a very calming influence to me. You know, having breakfast with him, you know, sort of talking about the day ahead, you know, how I’m feeling.

And I feel as if — I mean, you know, obviously a lot of sons are very close with their fathers, but you know I feel like I can say things to him that I couldn’t say to anyone else. And you know, he’s always very positive. Anyone that knows him, you know, will tell you that. And just reassuring, saying everything is OK, you’ll be fine, just keep doing what you’re doing, and you know to be able to celebrate like that on Father’s Day with him was very special.

MORGAN: The traditional Irish way of celebrating things is to go and get completely hammered. I hope you kept up this tradition.

(LAUGHTER)

MCILROY: Yes, I’ve had a couple of good nights out with my friends since probably since I’ve been home.

MORGAN: Now there is some conjecture about exactly what beer is your favorite. And this is mainly being caused by you, because depending on which interview you’re giving, you so far said Heineken, Corona and Guinness.

Now which is it?

MCILROY: Never Guinness. No.

MORGAN: Never Guinness?

MCILROY: No. I still — I think it’s an acquired taste and I’ve still to acquire that taste.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: You don’t like Guinness?

MCILROY: No, I’m not — I’m not a big fan. Not a big fan. As I was going to —

MORGAN: That’s sacrilege.

MCILROY: I know. I know. I know. But if I was going to drink any beer, it would either be Heineken or Corona. Usually Heineken.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: You’re from the north of Ireland. So describe to me your upbringing. What was it like? Obviously to many American, in particular, they will know that there’s been a lot of trouble in Northern Ireland over the years.

For a young man growing up as you did there, what was it like for you?

MCILROY: You know, personally I’ve never seen the violence. I grew up in a very quiet town called Hollywood just outside Belfast. And the only thing I — you know, in terms of trouble was on TV, on the news. You know, I never experienced it firsthand, so I — you know, if anyone ever asked me about Northern Ireland and the troubles, I mean I can’t really say to them what it’s like because I’ve never actually seen it, you know.

So it’s just — it’s just — it a pity that, you know, these things are put on the news. And you know I’d rather see Northern Ireland, you know, portrayed in a more positive light.

MORGAN: I mean it’s a lot more peaceful there now. There’s still incidents occasionally, but certainly when I grew up, it was a lot more violent. There seems to be a sense that Northern Ireland has come through that dark period. And one of the reasons, I think, is that some of the sportsmen like yourself have been really excelling.

Do you feel that the weight of the expectation of the Irish on your shoulders?

MCILROY: A little bit, but I don’t mind that. I don’t mind carrying that around with me, because if what I do on the golf course provides hope for the people of Northern Ireland, then you know I can’t really do a much better job than that.

MORGAN: Are you Irish or British? Or can you be both?

MCILROY: It’s hard. I mean I’m Northern Irish. You know, I carry a United Kingdom and you know I’ve got a British passport. It’s a hard one

— it’s a hard one to sort of answer, because you know I’ve got my choice. I can play for Ireland, I can play for Great Britain.

It’s a — it’s a tough one. I mean it’s — and it’s always going — I’m always going to have to answer that and deal with that question because of where I grew up. And it’s — you know, I regard myself as Northern Irish and that’s all I can really say.

MORGAN: That’s probably the diplomatic answer, isn’t it?

MCILROY: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MCILROY: It would have to be.

MORGAN: Did you have a tough upbringing, would you say?

MCILROY: No.

MORGAN: Did you have much money as a family? Were you —

MCILROY: No. No, not at all. My mom and dad worked very hard to give me the best chance in — not just in golf but in life. You know, I was an only child, you know, my dad worked three jobs at one stage. My mom worked night shifts in a factory.

MORGAN: What did they do?

MCILROY: My dad was a bar manager and worked in separate places, you know, in the daytime and then in the night. And my mom worked in a factory that produced tape and sort of industrial goods and she worked night shift in there. So, you know, they worked very hard.

And I — being so young, you’re sort of oblivious to it all, and it’s only when you become a little older and a little wiser that you realize how much they sacrificed for you. And —

MORGAN: It’s been worth it, though, hasn’t it?

MCILROY: Yes, yes. But you know if it wasn’t for them, you know, I wouldn’t be — probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.

MORGAN: Did you ever imagine when you were growing up and the other Hollywood, that the real one, one day would be a place that would welcome you like a conquering hero?

MCILROY: Yes, it’s —

MORGAN: Pretty surreal, isn’t it?

MCILROY: It is. It is very surreal. And I’ve — you know, I didn’t realize the magnitude that this win would — you know I didn’t realize how much my life would change even in the last 10 days.

MORGAN: What’s it been like? I mean I can’t even imagine. A young lad of 22. My son is nearly 18, so I look at you and I see this very young guy who seems remarkably calm, given you just exploded on the international sports scene.

When you win the U.S. Open in America, as I’ve seen, I’ve been out there when it happened, it’s just — it’s a huge story. Hard to describe to people back in Ireland or England what it’s like for what’s happened to you. It must have turned things upside down, isn’t it?

MCILROY: Yes, it’s — I mean — I didn’t realize how much attention and focus was going to be on me after that. The amount of media requests.

You know, just interviews, everything like that. I mean I — you know, for me, I won a golf tournament and that was really the end of it, but you know it’s a bigger story than that. And it’s —

MORGAN: Is it exciting or slightly terrifying?

MCILROY: No, it’s exciting. I mean it’s the reason that, you know, I practice for seven or eight hours a day. You know there’s no point in practicing for that long and then getting to the point where you could win a major, you know, you could become the best player in the world and to say, oh, no, I don’t really want that. You know that’s why I practice is to put myself in these positions.

MORGAN: The other players, some of them have been playing for twice as long as you’ve been alive, and they have to watch you come along. Some Great British players, never won a major, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomery and others.

You’ve done it now at this ridiculously young age, you’ve been called the new Tiger Woods. How have they reacted, the guys who’ve never won and tried for so long to do so?

MCILROY: They’ve been very positive. You know I feel as if I’m quite close to Lee Westwood. And he’s been one of the best players in the world for a number of years now. And it just hasn’t happened for him on that given week. You know the same as Monty. Monty had, you know, plenty of chances and didn’t quite finish it off.

And you know I think it’s a huge advantage for me to be able to win a major so early, to get that, you know, monkey off my back, as they say, and, you know, focus on winning more majors.

MORGAN: We’ll have a short break. When we come back, I want to talk to you about what it’s like, apart from this fly buzzing around your head —

MCILROY: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: So if you had your 4 iron, you could swat it. I’ll talk to you about the guy everyone is comparing you to, Tiger Woods.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Rory, lots of comparisons right now to you and Tiger Woods.

Famous footage of him at 3 years old smacking balls down the fairway.

You were playing from the age of 18 months, if folklore is correct. Do you see any parallels with Tiger in terms of the way you play?

MCILROY: Yes, I mean, you know, at 22 we both had one major. He won a couple more times than I have in my career. But I mean I have to let other people make comparisons, because if I go — am trying, you know, to chase his records, I’ll lose sight of what I need to do to actually — to win tournaments.

You know, Tiger is one of the best players, if not the best player to ever play the game, so —

MORGAN: There are people right now, proper experts, saying that you have the ability, the natural ability and you’ve now shown the mental strength to come back from the Masters where, to use sporting parlance, you slightly choked, if you don’t mind me using that phrase.

MCILROY: No.

MORGAN: To come back and win the Open after that proved to the experts that you have the mental agility, too. They’re saying, you know, you could have it all. You could go on and be the greatest champion that golf has ever seen.

That’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?

MCILROY: It is. But you know at the end of the day that’s what their — they’re only words. You know I have to go out and actually do it. You know they could say he could win 20 major championships, but, you know, at the end of the day I’ve only got one, you know, so it’s up to me to go out and prove them right, you know, if they are right. And not worry about that, just try and focus on me and playing my best golf. And if I can do that, records and wins and everything else should take care of themselves.

MORGAN: I suppose you’ve always showed a slight fearlessness towards Tiger. You’ve never been as apparently in awe of him as some of the others. It was suggested this was getting to him a bit, you know that — who is this guy who isn’t terrified of me? It’s part of the thing in sports to not be in awe of people?

MCILROY: Yes, of course. I mean I don’t want to feel inferior to any other golfer in the world. You know if you do that, then you know you’re giving them an advantage, you know, right off the — you know, right from the start. So — you know, but I mean — obviously I respect everything that Tiger has done and as a kid I was in awe of what — you know, of what he was doing.

But, you know, I’m supposed to be a competitor of his now, so there’s — you know, I can’t be in awe of what he does or anything like that. All I have to do is focus on — again, on my game. He can do whatever he wants, but at the end of the day if I concentrate on me and I play my best golf, you know, I know that sometimes, you know, if I do that, I’ll come out on top.

MORGAN: Tiger obviously became one of the biggest sports icons in history, very, very quickly. A mercurial talent. Apparently the poster boy in every way. We know what happened next, you know his life came crashing down around him. A lot of it, people say, is down to the huge pressure that he was under, to be this huge superstar all the time.

You’re now going to get a lot of the Tiger-like attention, not just from the golf critiques and the media and so on, but you know, you’re a good-looking Irishman with a twinkle in your eye. You’re going to get all the girls and so on.

Do you think you have the strength of character to deal with it in a way that Tiger ultimately turned out not to have?

MCILROY: I hope so. It’s a tough one because I mean, as a golfer, you grow up and you — all you’re doing is trying to imagine winning tournaments and becoming the best golfer that you can be. But you don’t realize everything else that goes along with that, the fame, the attention, and it’s something that I’ll just have to deal with.

It’s something that I feel Tiger managed it very well for a long time and it just — it obviously just all sort of got to him. It’s a very tough position to be in.

MORGAN: I mean it can be a lonely old world being a professional sportsman, particularly golfers. You’re all touring all the time, flying around, staying in hotel rooms. You get a lot of attention from the groupies and so on. It’s not — it’s not a healthy way to live for relationships and stuff, is it?

MCILROY: No, it’s not. No, not at all. And that’s why a lot of the golfers travel with their families and with their wives. And you need a good team around you to keep you grounded and, you know, and keep in check with reality and keep a sense of perspective. And you know I feel as if I’ve got great parents. I’ve got a great family, got great friends. You know, I hope —

MORGAN: And a great girlfriend.

MCILROY: Yes.

MORGAN: In Holly, who’s your childhood sweetheart.

MCILROY: Holly. Yes.

MORGAN: What does she make of what’s happening to you?

MCILROY: She — I mean — I think in a way it’s tough on her. You know I’m getting all this attention. And we’ve been together since we were 15 years old. And we’ve had — you know a couple — five or six-week breaks which, you know, you’re going to have. But you know she knows me better than probably anyone else in the world. And she — she keeps me very grounded. I mean she doesn’t take any grief from me at all.

MORGAN: Not many women I know would like waking up to see the man in their life described as the next Tiger Woods right now.

(LAUGHTER)

MCILROY: No, definitely not. No, but she’s great. You know she — we’re a very — I mean I’m trying to stay as normal as possible. I mean I don’t know what the next few years are going to bring, but we’re a very normal couple. She still goes to university. She’s trying to finish her degree.

I’m obviously out playing golf and trying to win major championships.

But, you know, we — you know we see a lot of each other. And you know we have two dogs, live together, so it’s —

MORGAN: So you’ve got a little family already.

MCILROY: Well, sort of, yes.

MORGAN: Do you think wedding bells on the horizon here?

MCILROY: No, not at the moment. You know Holly needs to finish school first and get a degree and —

MORGAN: Does it depend on how good a degree she gets?

MCILROY: No, not at all.

(LAUGHTER)

MCILROY: She’s a lot more — she’s a lot smarter than I am. So no, she’s the brains of the couple.

MORGAN: It must be surreal, though, for both of you. I mean there you were ticking along quite nicely and your golf is getting better and better and winning tournaments, but this particular stage of your life, even you probably couldn’t have foreseen what was going to happen.

And there you are the both of you with two dogs having an attempt at a normal life. And yet in your mind you must both realize it’s not going to be normal now.

MCILROY: No, it’s not. You know we’re going to get attention, good and bad. But again, it’s something that we’re just going to have to learn to deal with. It’s — you know, it’s amazing how life can change so quickly, and you’ve just got to adapt with the times.

MORGAN: Let’s take a little break. When we come back, I’m going to play a little message from a friend of yours just to spice things up a bit.

GRAEME MCDOWELL, 2010 U.S. OPEN CHAMPION: Rory, congratulations on your U.S. Open victory. It’s extra special. I’m not quite sure what golf course you were playing but congrats, what a display. And you blew us all the way, so enjoy.

MORGAN: That’s a message there from your great friend, Graeme McDowell, fellow Irishman, of course.

I mean even with him, you want to kill him, right, on the golf course?

MCILROY: Yes. Of course, yes. On the golf course, yes. But he’s a great friend off.

MORGAN: (INAUDIBLE) watching you, here’s a nice charming young man from Ireland. To tell people, well, I’ve got very well polished shoes. My mother would say (INAUDIBLE) polished shoes. And yet in you is a steely assassin on a golf course.

Where does that come from? Where does it come from for you, do you think? Where have you got that from?

MCILROY: I think you need that. I mean I feel as if I need that on the golf course. You know I need that cockiness, the self-belief, arrogance, swagger, whatever you want to call it, I need that on the golf course to bring the best out of myself. So you know once I leave the golf course, you know that all gets left there.

You know I’m — I just try to just turn into the normal Rory MCILROY that was brought up in Hollywood, Northern Ireland.

MORGAN: I mean if you tried to go home to Holly and the two dogs with the swagger and the arrogance and the cockiness, how would she react?

MCILROY: Probably with a slap from the back of her right hand.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: Who are the sportsmen that you’ve most admired over the years?

From any generation really.

MCILROY: Yes.

MORGAN: Who’s most inspired you?

MCILROY: I think for any golfer from my generation, watching Tiger — you know growing up and winning his major championships was a huge inspiration for me to believe that, you know, maybe one day I could go on to emulate what he’s done.

MORGAN: Did he call you after the U.S. Open?

MCILROY: No, he left a message in the media center.

MORGAN: Saying what?

MCILROY: Just well done, great performance from start to finish. And that was basically it. But nowadays, I look up to Rafael Nadal. And I’ve become pretty good friends with him over the last year. And I just think the determination and the focus and the intensity that he brings to the tennis court is incredible. It’s nothing — I’ve never seen anything like it before.

MORGAN: I mean the one really downside to — amid all this apparent perfection is you’re a Manchester United soccer fan.

MCILROY: Yes.

MORGAN: Which is of course —

(CROSSTALK)

MORGAN: About as bad as life gets. But they have this great manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. He’s a legend in Europe. And not that well known in America, but in terms of his leadership, is he someone that inspires you?

MCILROY: Yes, definitely. I think especially with the crop of players that he had in the late ’90s. You know, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs. You know for all those players to be so loyal to him for so long, you know, it shows what a great leader he was.

MORGAN: When you lost the Masters and you had to wake up to all these headlines, you know, Rory chokes and so on and so on, do you get depressed when that happens or do you have a side to you that just fires yourself up? Did you sink into a kind of temporary oblivion of despair?

MCILROY: No, if anything it made me more determined to go back and to prove to a lot of people, not just the media but you know just everyone and prove to myself as well that I wasn’t this person that they were making me out to be in the press, you know, a choker or you know can’t handle the pressure.

You know, I was determined to go out and show them that that wasn’t me.

MORGAN: Did you get any time to relax there? Can you relax?

MCILROY: A little bit, yes. I mean, you know, I tried to, you know, I think time off and time away from the game is nearly as important as the time, you know, that you practice, because, you know, if I played golf every day, I would — you know you get stale and you become a little bit — you know you go through the motions and it becomes a little bit tedious.

But once you go away from the game for a couple of weeks, you’ve got that, you know, freshness back and that hunger and determination to go and want to work hard in practice again.

MORGAN: What do you like to do to just completely take your mind off golf? What was the best escape route for you?

MCILROY: I think to go and watch other sports — sporting event. You know, Wimbledon, boxing matches. I’ve got a fiber side football pitch at home which, you know, me and my mates play home all the time. And I’m a season ticket holder Man United as well.

MORGAN: Do you ever read books?

MCILROY: Yes. To be honest, I haven’t read a book in probably a year. So I think it is something —

MORGAN: Music — do you listen to music?

MCILROY: Yes, music. Yes, I’m into music.

MORGAN: What’s on your iPod?

MCILROY: I lot of — lot of dancy, sort of techno, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta.

MORGAN: Really?

MCILROY: All that sort of stuff, yes.

MORGAN: Swedish House Mafia.

MCILROY: Yes. I went to their concert here in London about four weeks ago.

MORGAN: I’m being told they’re really big. I shouldn’t act surprised.

What’s the big ambition for you, personally and professionally?

MCILROY: Personally, not to let all this attention that I’m going to probably get — not let that affect me in any way.

Professionally, I want to go on to win more major championships. I want to try to become the best golfer in the world.

MORGAN: The best golfer in history?

MCILROY: Yeah.

MORGAN: Is that now attainable to you, do you think?

MCILROY: I would probably be —

MORGAN: I tell you what, let’s put the Rory MCILROY of the golf course

— let’s ask him that question, along with the swagger, the cockiness, the arrogance. Because I’m looking at a guy who just won the U.S. Open who looks supremely chilled out by this.

You know, I think you quietly believe you could go on to become one of the greats.

MCILROY: Yeah, I do. I do. But I don’t really know if people want to hear that. I mean, I believe that myself, yes.

MORGAN: I like hearing it. I like my sportsmen to exude chilling self confidence.

MCILROY: Yeah, I mean I’m very — I’m very confident in my own abilities. I believe in myself. Yeah, I mean, I said something a couple of days ago. I said I’m not playing for money, I’m playing for a place in history. And that’s — you know, that’s really what I’m all about.

MORGAN: Rory, best of luck.

MCILROY: Thank you.

MORGAN: Congratulations again. You’re the pride of Ireland, of Britain, anywhere you’d like to say. We’re all proud of you.

MCILROY: Thank you very much.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered

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