It was the mention of his parents, Gerry and Rosie, that really stirred the emotions for Rory McIlroy after his thrilling Masters triumph on Sunday.
Rarely does a top athlete make it without immense sacrifice of loved ones but few gave more than the Northern Irishman’s in allowing him to pursue his dreams.
After edging out Justin Rose on the 18th green, the first playoff hole, McIlroy realised his ambition of a career Grand Slam and afterwards spoke about how much he owed to his parents.
And both Gerry, 65, and Rosie, 64, have previously revealed the challenges they faced in funding and nurturing the talent of their remarkable son in the early years when 100-hour work weeks were the norm.
‘I’d work from 8am to noon as a cleaner at a sports club,’ Gerry previously recalled to the Mail on Sunday.
‘From 12-6pm I was a bartender at Holywood Golf Club; then, after going home for tea, I’d return to the sports club from 7pm-midnight to work behind the bar.
Rory McIlroy spoke about the influence of his parents after winning the Masters on Sunday
Rosie (left) and Gerry (right), pictured with their son after his Hero Dubai Desert Classic win last year, made incredible sacrifices to give their son the best possible chance of success
McIlroy’s talent needed nurturing and funding as a youngster and his parents gave up a lot
‘I am a working-class man and that’s all I knew to get the money we needed for Rory to be able to learn and compete at golf.’
He went on: ‘Sometimes, you might get a bit browned off or tired but Rosie would always cheer me up. ‘Gerry,’ she’d say, ‘one day this could be all worthwhile’.
Despite their ferocious work ethic, it was not pushy parenting that forced McIlroy into the big time – all the ambition came from the youngster.
‘We wanted to give our child a chance — after all, he was the only one we have. But I want to make it clear; golf was not our dream, it was Rory’s,’ Gerry, who is a scratch handicap, said.
‘I played golf because, as a boy, I lived in a council house 200 yards from Holywood Golf Club.’
‘I spent all my summers there with my two brothers and my dad. I used to bring Rory to the practice ground when I played plenty.
‘I’ve got a picture of him hitting a ball when he is one year, nine months old and wearing cords and a sweater knitted by his mother!
‘I caddied for Rory and travelled allover Ireland and the States with him, but I learned to give him space. I’ve seen parents ruin good golfers.’
McIlroy posted this image of him and his father, paying tribute to him on Father’s Day
The Northern Irishman’s mother worked graveyard shifts in the local factory
McIlroy’s parents have been all over the world to follow their son’s career
And McIlroy himself said his parents were often ships in the night, given their many jobs and anti-social hours, with Rosie working the graveyard shifts in a local factory.
‘Mum and Dad weren’t pushy parents,’ he confirmed. ‘Only when you get to this level, and you know a bit more how the world works, do you realise how much they sacrificed. When Mum came back from night shift, she’d sleep until I came home from school.
‘Dad would come home for his tea, then he’d go out again to work and Mum would later return to the factory for her next shift. I knew not everyone’s parents worked like that — but I was pretty oblivious to it all.’
The family did not take a holiday for more than a decade, using every penny towards their son’s travel costs, equipment and training.
The faith and support of their son has paid off in spades. In 2009 McIlroy bought them a house and has won enough to ensure they never have to work again.
‘I’ll never be able to repay Mum and Dad for what they did, but at least they know they’ll never have to work another day. I’ll do whatever it takes to look after them,’ he said.
The relationship between the five-time major champion and his parents is still incredibly strong.
He posted an image of them on their 27th wedding anniversary, writing: ’27 years married today…. Incredibly lucky to have such amazing parents, they are true role models. Hopefully I’m as happy as they are when I get to that point in my life.’
The 35-year-old realised a childhood dream in securing the Masters title and career slam
He has described them as his best friends and in 2017 said: ‘I can tell them anything, lean on them, ask them for advice.’
No doubt the long wait for McIlroy’s Masters triumph after so many false dawns and crushing disappointments will be a weight off his parents’ shoulders as much as his own.
The 35-year-old is now looking to further his legacy even more and believes he’ll be freed up now the monkey is off his back.
His brilliant career and now green jacket would simply not have been possible without the immense sacrifices of both Gerry and Rosie.
