They say greatness comes with a price, and who better than Rory McIlroy knows this? He has 4 majors and 26 Tour titles to his name, but he has always found himself at the center of one backlash or another. For instance, when he broke off his engagement with the tennis star Caroline Wozniacki over a short phone call. Or when he expressed his true thoughts about LIV Golf at the beginning of the league, or when he had a change of heart for LIV and LIV golfers. How can we forget when he did not congratulate the 2024 US Open winner as he lost his fifth major by one stroke? He also faced painful online bullying after he dropped an F-bomb at the Olympics this year, and fans made comments like “Cancel Rory, my kids are watching” and “Criminal!”? What we are trying to say is that the examples of McIlroy facing backlash are many.

But all of that was limited to the golfer, and as a loving father, he sure would not want her little daughter, Poppy, to face the hardships, and the brutality of the game, now that she is showing interest in the sport. Naturally, McIlroy is bound to be worried for his little girl. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, the golfer revealed that Poppy got her first golf gear this year on her birthday.

“We got her her first real clubs for her birthday this year,”  he said. The World No. 3 further elaborated that he wouldn’t mind if his daughter chose a different path for her career. “She’s taken a little bit of interest, if she did I would be 100 percent supportive but at the same time I wouldn’t mind if she did something different. It’s not just about being a sportsperson, there’s all the rest of it that comes with it”, said McIlroy. “Especially in this age of social media and all the stuff you have to deal with. So, if it’s your daughter, you’re trying to protect her from that as much as you can.”

Golf is not just what we see at the tournaments, it is so much more; the hard work, the mental pressure, the backlash you face from fans when you have been winless for a while, or when you lose your calm on the greens for a moment. Being a golfer himself, McIlroy sure understands the highs and lows he faces daily and doesn’t want his daughter to go through something similar.

McIlroy would be over the moon if his daughter Poppy decided to follow in his footsteps. There have been a few moments on the greens when fans have been lucky to see Poppy catching the golf bug.

Like father, like daughter: Poppy shows interest in golf

The three-year-old Poppy is capturing hearts in the golf world with her infectious enthusiasm. As Rory McIlroy’s biggest little fan, Poppy proudly cheers him on at tournaments and even joins him on the greens. Take the 2023 Masters, for example, the little girl joined her dad on the course as a caddie wearing a matching white jumpsuit with “McIlroy” printed on the back. Maybe that’s where her interest sparked—who knows?

She was also seen at the 2023 BMW PGA Championship, where she hugged her uncle Tommy Fleetwood. McIlroy’s 2024 PLAYERS Championship performance was made all the more special by daughter Poppy’s adorable congratulations. With a beaming smile on her face, Poppy rushed to hug her dad after his amazing birdie on the 18th. The golfer openly acknowledges how fatherhood has brought him greater balance and happiness.

“It just puts things in perspective a little bit. “[My career] matters to me, and I care about it very much, but at the same time, it makes the hard days a little easier to get over, right?”  said McIlroy when asked about Poppy in an interview with People.

So do you think we will see more of little Poppy on the greens now that she has shown interest in the sport? Let us know in the comment section below!