‘Hopefully, if I Never Do That, Hopefully, I’m Still Remembered’: Rory McIlroy Reflects on a Famous Jack Nicklaus Quote

Rory McIlroy is currently leading the 150th Open Championship before heading to the final round. The Northern Irish could win his first Major since 2014 at St. Andrews. A few days before the commencement of the Major, McIlroy mentioned how significant The Open win at St. Andrews would be to his legacy.

The Open Championship is currently taking place at the Old Course, St. Andrews which is popularly recognized as the ‘Home of Golf.’ Because of the 150th anniversary of the Major and the event taking place at such a prestigious venue, the Major has garnered a lot of hype.

Before the event started, Rory McIlroy shared popular words from Jack Nicklaus and stated how an Open win at the golf course would be a career-defining moment for the golfer. Let’s take a look at what McIlroy had to say.

Rory McIlroy wants to be remembered for a win at St. Andrews

Rory McIlroy made an instant impact in his initial days of professional golf. By the time he reached the age of 25, the golfer already had 4 Majors to his name. However, in the last 8 years, McIlroy has failed to win a Major.

McIlroy was asked how his emotions will be after he wins The Open at St. Andrews after a season that saw him coming close to winning The Masters but just fell short. McIlroy responded by saying, “The whole thing, where it puts you in history and who does it put you alongside. That’s the really cool thing about golf. That’s what I’ve always dreamed about.”

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The 33-year-old further mentioned how crucial an Open Championship win is to be compared to the greats of the game. McIlroy wants to be remembered as one of the greats even if he fails to win the British Major.

McIlroy included a famous quote from Jack Nicklaus to robust his statement. He said, “I think Jack [Nicklaus] said back in the day, ‘To be remembered in this game, you have to win an Open at St. Andrews.’ Hopefully, if I never do that, hopefully, I’m still remembered, but it would certainly put me on a different plane, which would be really cool.”

Now with only one round to spare, McIlroy looks untouchable with his top-quality golf. Thanks to the 4-time Major champion’s exceptional 3rd round, he currently leads The Open along with his playing partner Viktor Hovland with a score of -16. Though McIlroy already has an Open Championship win to his resume, it’s the win at St. Andrews that matters.

Do think Rory McIlroy will finally end his Major drought by winning the 150th Open Championship?

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