A little Texas hunger and heartbreak helped get Rory McIlroy back to No. 1
It’s still a little difficult for Rory McIlroy to process his entire journey back to No. 1 in the world, a position the Northern Irishman reclaimed after winning last week’s CJ Cup in South Carolina.
But while his ascension back to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking is fuzzy, McIlroy knows precisely where the low point came — and it was sitting alone and hungry in a Central Texas hotel room.
As part of last year’s 100th playing of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio, McIlroy was installed as one of the betting favorites, but he hardly looked the part, missing the cut after posting rounds of 72 and 73.
The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa — which sits just above the course — was hosting a banquet that Friday, and A-list golf celebrities like Austin’s own Ben Crenshaw (who won the Texas Open in 1973 and 1986) as well as previous champs Deane Beman (1969), Hale Irwin (1977), Lee Trevino (1980) and Tom Watson (1987) were all on hand.
McIlroy, who hadn’t missed a cut for nearly a year, had trouble with transportation and was forced to stay the night in his room. He assumed he’d simply order a meal and lick his wounds. But even that didn’t go as planned as all the catering and restaurant staff was busy with the banquet.
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“That JW Marriott there in San Antonio is massive,” he said. “I was feeling pretty bad, missed the cut. I got back up to my hotel room and went to order room service and they said it will be a two-and-a-half-hour wait. So I basically missed the cut, went to bed on an empty stomach and I was like, let’s just wake up tomorrow and start again.
“I don’t know why that sticks out, but I think there were a couple of things that happened that week. I changed my golf ball the following week and that definitely helped get me on this path. I played a new golf ball at Augusta and that was really the turning point to sort of turn the year around.”
When he finally got out of town, Mcllroy got things rolling in the right direction, placing in the top 10 in all four majors and winning the RBC Canadian Open and, eventually, the Tour Championship. In notching his third win since June, McIlroy, who has been No. 1 for a total of 106 weeks during his career, supplanted University of Texas product Scottie Scheffler, who had been No. 1 for 30 weeks since March 27. McIlroy claimed World No. 1 for the first time in March 2012 after winning the Honda Classic. He returned to the top spot for the ninth time in his career.
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“If someone had told me on the Friday night of the Valero Texas Open when I missed the cut that I would be world No. 1 by October, I would have asked them what they were smoking because I would not have believed them,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, it’s just been a wild six months. I figured a few things out with my game and I’ve just been on a really good run. Everything sort of feels like it’s came together for me and today was just a continuation of how I felt like I’ve been playing over these last few months. Now it’s all about going forward and trying to just keep this going.”
Tito’s bringing event back to Butler Pitch and Putt with PGA Tour pros
When PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen was approached about playing in the first Tito’s Shorties Classic Pitch and Putt Match at Butler Pitch and Putt last year, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
“It blew me out of the water,” Dahmen said of the famous short course that sits near Auditorium Shores. “The location. The course. The people. The way the thing is right in the middle of the city. It was so much fun. That is such a great place to have something like this. More areas need a place like that.”
This year, Dahmen was a no-brainer to bring back for the second playing of the event, which will take place on Nov. 7.
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The event, which will be hosted by Bob Does Sports and CBS Sports’ Amanda Renner, will again feature Dahmen and Harry Higgs, with newcomers former Texas star Beau Hossler and Keith Mitchell added to the mix. The event will be taped and aired on Golf Channel in January.
Tickets for the event went on sale Wednesday and are available for $10.
Birdies and bogeys
• It’s been a big week for the Texas A&M women’s golf program, ranked third in the most current Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. On Monday, Aggie star Blanca Fernández García-Poggio captured the individual stroke play title at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta, beating an impressive field. On Tuesday, Hailee Cooper sent A&M to the championship match of the event’s team competition with a walk-off eagle on No. 18, defeating UCLA, 3-2.
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“Hailee’s match went back and forth all day long,” head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. “She stepped up and hit a great shot down the middle on 18 off the tee after going all square on 17. Then her eagle shot on 18 was incredible.”
• A number of local players will compete in this weekend’s 20th Texas Shootout, a 12-man team competition between top-ranked amateur golfers from North and South Texas. The event will be held at Grand Pines Golf Club at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery. Austin’s Dan Depasquale and Andrew Grice will play for the South team, as will Austen Fulmer of Cedar Park.
• That controversy about former Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans chatting with a referee and perhaps giving an autograph after a recent game appears to be nothing more than the Tampa Bay star looking to improve his golf swing. Following last Sunday's loss to Carolina, a reporter filmed a moment when side judge Jeff Lamberth stopped Evans as he was headed toward the locker room. After an investigation by the league, it was determined that Lamberth, who also is from A&M, was offering the number of a golf pro to help Evans with his game. The former Galveston Ball High School star is an avid golfer and runs a charity tournament for his foundation each summer in South Florida.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Rory McIlroy got his season on track at Valero Open last year
