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There was a golf tournament to be won on the Old Course, but that didn’t dictate who most fans wanted to see during their Sunday on the famed Fife links.
Tyrrell Hatton and Nicolas Colsaerts were doing battle for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, while Rory McIlroy was a dozen shots off the pace and starting from the tenth tee.
Hatton went on to make history with his third Dunhill Links title, edging out a courageous Colsaerts with a birdie on the 18th green. But it was when the leaders were on the second green when those in the Sky Sports commentary box noticed the disparity in crowds following the two groups.
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At the same time, McIlroy was walking down the 17th hole, the famous Road Hole like the Pied Piper of the links, with huge swathes of fans following him.
Back on the mic, Andrew Coltart had an observation to make.
“I can’t help but notice I’m watching all the crowd…,” he began, “if everybody wonders about who still moves the needle, Rory McIlroy is still on that other nine holes and he is out of this tournament and not in contention, and yet the whole crowd are following McIlroy instead of the unbelievably talented and potentially the winner for the third time in this event, Tyrrell Hatton. What does that say?”
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Laura Davies, the LPGA legend, then used the opportunity to defend the channel’s coverage of McIlroy during events that he can no longer win.
“Well it just says, you know we get criticised for going on about Rory McIlroy a bit too much, but this is just what people want to see. There is proof of it.”
McIlroy’s popularity has long been reflected by the coverage he receives on broadcasts. In a similar vein to Tiger Woods, his performance is always a subplot to the narrative of any tournament week.
The Northern Irishman looked at ease during the Dunhill Links, which was an opportunity to not only celebrate his father Gerry’s 65th birthday, but also to mingle with the key players in golf’s future.
He played with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund – which bankrolls LIV Golf – during the event.
When asked before the tournament by BBC NI when he hoped to see significant movement in a deal to unite the warring factions, McIlroy replied: “Definitely before the year’s end.
“Maybe it is going too slow for the people who follow golf. But I think in the business world deals of this size take time. You know, you are talking about billions of dollars changing hands, different jurisdictions in the Middle East, US and Europe.
“It’s a pretty complicated deal, but I think we’ll know more by the year’s end hopefully. We are in October, so three months to get something done and start 2025 with enthusiasm and all move forward together.”
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