Huge stateside interest in Rory McIlroy's home club

Americans snap up anything they can buy from Rory’s home club

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, June 23, 2011, 8:46 AM

Updated Thursday, June 23, 2011, 8:49 AM

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Rory McIlroy returns home after U.S. Open success

Photo by Getty Images

Americans just can’t get enough of Rory McIlroy and the golf club in an Irish town called Holywood – and they’re not alone.

Calls from the States, Canada, Europe, Japan and even New Zealand have flooded into the hillside County Down golf club where the new US Open champion learnt the game.

McIlroy’s success is already rebounding in a positive manner on those who play their golf on this side of Belfast Lough.

“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the first round at Congressional last Thursday,” confirmed the club’s head professional Stephen Crooks.

“We’ve had people on from as far away as New Zealand and lots of calls from America and Canada.

“They want to buy anything with the club crest on it thanks to Rory. We’re out of hats, ball markers. You name it and they want it.”

A club with a healthy reputation for nurturing young talent, Holywood has a thriving juvenile membership.

But they’re not interested in finding the new Tiger Woods in North County Down – even Rory is helping with the search for the new Rory McIlroy.

Holywood’s hero returned to his roots with the trophy in tow on Wednesday and the new kids on the block turned out in their hundreds.

Everywhere you moved in the welcoming halls of the course that shaped a Major winner, the boys and girls of this petite town were there to catch a glimpse of one of their own.

And their dream to do what Rory does is backed by the man himself in a very real way.

“Rory is hosting his second annual fund raising classic for the juvenile club here on August 19th and it sold out in just three minutes when the timesheet opened on Monday,” Holywood professional Crooks revealed as the kids abandoned the course to spend time with the young man of the moment.

“It is something Rory wanted to do to give something back to the club that gave him his start in golf and it is a huge success already.

“We have 180 juvenile members here and they idolise Rory. Thanks to him we already had a waiting list before his success at the US Open and now interest in golf amongst the young people all across Ireland, never mind just in County Down, is going to go through the roof.”

Like so many others patiently awaiting an audience with their hero, Crooks will get a chance to share a beer with the US Open champion as he recuperates from Congressional and prepares for the British Open at Sandwich over the next three weeks.

“He will be exactly the same Rory who left for the US Open without the trophy,” added Crooks, successor to McIlroy’s coach Michael Bannon as head professional at the par 69 Holywood course.

“Nothing has changed him over the years. He is the same with the kids here as he was when he was a juvenile himself and that is typical Rory.

“He’ll be out and about in the next few weeks and nothing will be too much trouble for him.”

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Aughavey | Jun 24, 2011, 11:09 AM EDT

cillowen I think you will find Mcilroy is Catholic although he went to a non denominational grammar school which would largely be attended by Protestants / Unionists. Not sure about McDowell. Many of these sports originated in England and the Irish organisations were formed prior to partition such as Rugby, Golf, Football, Hockey traditionally played by Unionists and increasingly Nationalist too. These sports have all-island bodies, football was all island - the Irish Football Association represented the whole island and still has the trophies in Belfast - after partition it still did so but then the Republic created the FAI and eventually FIFA stepped in and made Dublin based FAI represent the Republic and Belfast based IFA represent Northern Ireland. Other sports organisations are sturctured differently some UK based including NI others solely NI based and with the complicated situation of the right to dual passports British & Irish people can play for `Ireland`, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland or the UK (or Great Britain & Northern Ireland as the Olympic team is called).

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cillowen | Jun 23, 2011, 05:27 PM EDT

Irish or British Identity The issue I am most concerned about is Irish sporting identity. That is the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in sports that these grey areas still remain without clarification. It is my belief that two separate states should not be combining their sporting talent in some sports and stealing each other's talents in others. Of course here I am referring to the soccer players from the North who have opted in recent years to play for the Republic. There is genuine hostility between the respective fans as a result, and yet these same fans are obliged to unite together for a 'whole' Ireland in a different sport under some mickey mouse flag with a mickey mouse anthem. This is a problem that will be hugely difficult to navigate. The fact is that Rory will never be afforded the same warmth in the Republic that he gets in the North until he nails his colours to the mast. The problem of identity is not Rory McIlroy's problem. He know's who he is. The problem of identity lies deep in the hearts of the Irish people, both North and South of the border. As a natural consequence of history, Republicans will find it difficult if not impossible to support a sports person from Northern Ireland who pledges allegiance to the British Monarch. Similarly Unionists will not go out of there way to support Republicans. When a sporting icon withdraws this piece of their identity, support of that sports person will become delicate.

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cillowen | Jun 23, 2011, 05:19 PM EDT

The Irish team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Eire). That's why the anthem played in Ireland is Ireland's Call, the Irish rugby anthem. Neither of the two national anthems are played. ----- the same held true for Golf until the Proddy boys wanting their cake and eat it too came onstream they be Rory and Graeme for British glory - a knighting is in their future.

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