“As a person, I’m not my golf score. I’m more than that. I shouldn’t be reduced to that.'” This was what Rory McIlroy had once stated in one of his post-round pressers. Well, where is the lie? When someone becomes a public figure, it is more about what they do that defines them to the masses than what they are as individuals. The World No. 3 was also a part of the struggling crowd. He was recently asked if he still struggles with the identity issue, and the golfer truly reflected upon his changed self.

He shared that he is more secure at this point in his career than he was before. The reason? His cute little Poppy. Erica and McIlroy had their first child, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy in August 2020, and ever since she has become a reason for her dad’s joy. “I probably feel a lot more secure in that since becoming a dad. That, to me, has changed my perception of good days and bad days on the golf course, especially bad days,” said the Northern Irishman to Normal Sport.

This season is what describes the struggle for McIlroy. He did win two events this year on the PGA Tour, but the road has not been easy. He missed yet another major with a mere stroke at Pinehurst and was heartbroken. One thing we truly can say is that he was not the only one whose heart broke that day. After the PGA Tour’s season ended, came another blow, or shall we say blows. He lost two titles on DPWT by close margin: his national Open (Amgen Irish Open) and the BMW PGA Championship. Does it all matter to him now? Not really!

Being a father has changed a lot for him as he said “It’s softened the blows of the bad day. But then when you come home after a great day she does not care that you just shot 63 and all she wants to do is play memory.  It’s like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go play memory.’ It’s a pretty humbling thing. I used to struggle with it a lot, but I think since becoming a father it’s been … an automatic improvement in that part of my psyche when it comes to not bringing golf home with me” 

As every father does, McIlroy loves his little one. He is keen on protecting her from the bad, especially that comes from being an athlete since Poppy is showing interest in golf. “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.”

Well, ever since McIlroy became a father, there have been a lot of things that have changed with him. Earlier, he cared for plenty of things, but now, he has found the balance.

Rory McIlroy points out the fine line between caring and not caring

When someone becomes an entity as famous as Rory McIlroy or for that matter Scottie Scheffler, their every move is monitored and scrutinized even for the smallest of things. When asked how he balanced between caring enough and not caring too much, he replied, “It’s a very fine line to walk.” The 4x major winner is an emotional person as it is, be it on his defeat at the 2020 Ryder Cup where he got so emotional that he started crying.

McIlroy has been playing golf since he was nine years old. That makes him all the more passionate about the game. “I care because honestly, I love being who I am, and I would love to end my career by achieving everything that I want,” he added. He even added how he admires Scottie Scheffler for being able to do it just perfectly. Although the World No. 1 cares a lot, says McIlroy, “he also is probably humble enough to know that it’s not all in his control. And I think his faith has a massive part to do with that.”

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