Monday, April 11, 2011

Rory McIlroy Shows Class After Devastating Defeat


By Douglas V. Gibbs

Augusta's green jacket did not wind up over Rory McIlroy's shoulders as many were expecting. He lost his lead via a major meltdown on the back nine of the final day, basically dropping of the leader board. Missed putts, bunkers, and a neighborhood of houses seemed to be the order of the day for the young golfer, and along the way Charl Schwartzel of South Africa gained the championship, and the green jacket.

Tiger Woods made a spectacular comeback on the final day of the tournament, and Adam Smith even held the lead for a moment, but it wasn't enough to win it for either golfer. Mickelson was nowhere to be seen, and phenom Rickie Fowler, after beginning under par on the first two days, melted down sooner than McIlroy.

The real story, however, is not that McIlroy lost in what could be considered an incredibly humbling fashion, but that he handled it all with an uncommon display of class. Not once did we see the young golfer pound his club into the turf, or mumble an expletive. You could see the frustration in his eyes, but never once did he carry that frustration on his sleeve. As a professional, he played forward, and gracefully accepted the final result.

Rory McIlroy's class didn't stop there.

As he and The Masters champion Schwartzel flew to Malaysia together to compete in the Malaysian Open, McIlroy was smiling and chatting excitedly with Schwartzel.

On Twitter, McIlroy wrote: "Flying to Malaysia with Charl! Glad one of us has a green jacket on!!!"

McIlroy also joked in his tweets about the houses he hit after his tenth hole tee shot.

The tweet that really showed how classy this young golfer is, however, reads: "Found it tough going today, but you have to lose before you can win. This day will make me stronger in the end."

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Rory McIlroy’s a good sport about losing the green jacket - Yahoo Sports

2 comments:

kris said...

remarkable to you, but you must remember he is not a spoild brat American.

There is a saying here you might enjoy. It's,

"Stop crying. We're not Americans".

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

Oh, GOD!!!!!! Kris, you are a real piece of work. It has nothing to do with about where he is from.

McIlroy, as an individual, is a class act. There are class acts everywhere, but it is special when in an environment with a bunch of sports stars, you see class arise when expectations tell you that you won't.

This was supposed to be simply a piece of praise about a golfer, and you turn it into an anti-American shot across the bow. No wonder you decided to stay across the pond.