Rory McIlroy will walk into Royal Troon as a new man. It seems, thanks to his allies in the sports world, the Northern Irishman has finally moved on from his Pinehurst heartbreak. When you are Rory McIlroy, beating the odds kind of becomes your secondary job. Having been through a rough mental health patch briefly, advice from Rafael Nadal and Michael Jordan was what saved the day for this pro.

Real friendships are proven in times of need. Thankfully for McIlroy, he is not short of some real friends who know how to act quickly. After all, failed expectations come as the bitter part of the deal when you are a professional athlete. As does the necessity to cope with your demons. And Michael Jordan has faced his share of rough patches throughout his glory-filled career. So he used his darkest days as motivation for his golfer friend in his darkest times.

Expressing his gratitude for MJ and Rafa Nadal’s advice, McIlroy said, “Rafa Nadal and Michael Jordan. Two of the most unbelievable competitors that have ever been in sport. MJ was maybe the first person to text me after I missed the putt on the 18th but both of them got in touch very, very quickly. They just told me to keep going. MJ reminded me of how many game-winning shots he missed. Really nice.”

But when McIlroy lost the season’s third major title to Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke, he did not shake his hand before he stormed off. One thing was clear: speculations. And that’s what people did, they speculated. More so, his professionalism was brought into question. Why? Well, before Pinehurst, when DeChambeau lost to Xander Schauffele by 1 stroke, he waited for him to finish his round, hugged him, and congratulated him. McIlroy seems to be aware of these unprofessionalism allegations. He surely is in the mood to set the record straight before he tees up in Scotland.

While opinions are inescapable for this 35-year-old after he lost his long-awaited title by an inch, he knows one thing. That is to acknowledge his drawbacks. And he did so, gracefully. He said, “Maybe the one drawback from me not talking [to media] afterwards was that you got three weeks of speculation. ‘He should have done this, should have done that, but we will never know because he didn’t say.'”

With all said and done, it looks like not all bridges are burned for McIlroy after one emotion-filled exit at Pinehurst No. 2. In fact, his tryst at Royal Troon has received a seal from the legendary Gary Player, who claims to be one of his fans. So what does the 88-year-old have to add?

Gary Player gives Rory McIlroy a heartfelt blessing ahead of the Open

Admittedly a Rory McIlroy fan, Gary Player thinks the Northern Irishman needs to win majors. The player hopes Royal Troon will be his shot. Explaining his take on the Rory McIlroy vs. Bryson DeChambeau debate ahead of the season’s last major, he said, “I think it will be a blessing if Rory can come along and win this week so I’m pulling for Rory. I felt so sorry for Rory, what’s happened to him in the majors in the last X amount of years. I’m a big Rory fan. Rory is not winning the majors like he should be doing. And so I think it will be a blessing, after what happened in the U.S. Open because Rory had it in the palm of his hand.. if Rory can come along and win this week.”

But his support for McIlroy was not without appreciation for DeChambeau. The legendary golfer added that he is also a DeChambeau fan, and especially of his “enlightening character.” He appreciated the way the LIV star perfected the long bunker shot, something almost no golfer has ever perfected. But he also pointed out the irony in the situation, where DeChambeau made the impossible come true, and McIlroy missed a win after coming so close due to a putt. Regardless, the legend will be supporting McIlroy at Royal Troon as he awaits a Scottie Scheffler vs. Bryson DeChambeau challenge.

One thing is clear: Stepping into Scotland, Rory McIlroy surely has some of the biggest names in the world of sports backing him up. It remains to be seen if he takes the confidence into the approaching weekend.