With the reality of his Masters conquest still sinking in, Rory McIlroy has rebranded himself online.
The six-time Major champion has ditched his long-standing bio on X for something a little more punchy.
McIlroy, 35, was made to wait for his glorious moment after his meltdown at the 2011 Masters, and it had been 11 years since his last Major title.
But finally, via a nerve-wracking playoff against Justin Rose, McIlroy achieved the holy grail for golfers: the Career Grand Slam.
Only six men have won the Career Grand Slam, which involves winning the Masters, PGA Championship, the US Open, and The Open Championship.
And so McIlroy turfed out his old X bio, ‘I hit a little white ball around a field sometimes!’, for something less subtle.
Rory McIlroy has changed his bio on X after his stunning, long-awaited Masters triumph
The Northern Irishman was rewarded for years of persistence with a rare Career Grand Slam
And he took pride in changing his bio to ‘Grand Slam winner’ in front of his 3.2 million followers
His bio now reads: ‘Grand Slam winner’. He has also changed his profile picture of him lifting the Masters Trophy in the green jacket.
McIlroy has around 3.2 million followers on the social media site and yesterday shared an emotional post featuring a photo of him lifting the Masters Trophy.
‘Dreams do come true,’ he wrote in a post whcih has been seen 3.3 million times.
It was the culmination of years of practice since childhood.
His father Gerry, 65, once told the Mail on Sunday: ‘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 all over Ireland and the States with him, but I learned to give him space. I’ve seen parents ruin good golfers.’
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 posted this image of him and his father, paying tribute to him on Father’s Day
McIlroy’s parents have been all over the world to follow their son’s career and his mother worked graveyard shifts at a local factory to support his development
McIlroy spent the hours after his epic, nervy victory in a play-off over England’s Justin Rose celebrating on the iconic property at Augusta.
After picking up the green jacket and facing the media, he returned to the veranda-fronted clubhouse and happily mixed with members and officials.
McIlroy is known as a red wine connoisseur and has his own expansive collection. On previous trips outside of the Masters he has taken a keen interest in the well-stocked cellar which, while shrouded in secrecy, is thought to be situated underneath the members pro-shop and features some of the finest vintages on the planet.
The occasion may well have called for consumption, but McIlroy has cut down on his drinking since wearing a Whoop health and recovery tracking device.
After Sunday had given way to Monday, the 35-year-old retired to the nearby rental home he had occupied with wife Erica Stoll and their four-year-old daughter Poppy and where he had been preparing by watching Premier League football, Bridgerton and reading a John Grisham novel.
The group were due to fly to the family’s £16.7million Florida mansion via private jet from nearby Augusta airport on Monday morning. Offers to appear on the major New York-based talk shows are likely to flood in, but McIlroy is keen to return to Northern Ireland as soon as he can to see his parents.
When McIlroy does touch down in Belfast he will not have far to travel to see old friends – his Holywood hometown is right next to George Best Airport.
There may be a homecoming event with talks already underway between Holywood Golf Club and Ards and North Down Borough Council, but organisers worry McIlroy’s packed schedule could scupper this.
