Is McIlroy really a nice guy?

sinjin_smythe

Was glued to the golf over the weekend, not surprisingly Rory McIlroy's name was raised a number of times. One thing I found was he has a "genuine nice guy" image about him which any Rory fan will shame you for questioning. Even in my own house my family completely ganged up on me for questioning his nice guy image, but i had to point out he has hit the headlines for a number of bad reasons (split from girlfriend, apparent injuries walking off courses).

Only after he won the British Open yesterday he was picked up on a few issues. Id understand he was in the zone when that young lad ran up so i could excuse him for brushing the guy away. Anyway am verging on ranting here so just want to get your opinion, is the whole image a fake or is he genuine in your opinion?

Mods feel free to move this to the golf thread if you want, but would love to get AH opinions on it.

YFlyer

Score card before signing autographs

131spanner

In terms of ability he's a machine, incredible talent. As for his attitude, that young lad shouldn't have been there anyway, and was ushered off by stewards seconds later. McIlroy was on his way to sign his score card anyway, afaik.

Seems like a decent chap, but like many athletes of his caliber I'd imagine he'd put his form and winning above PR most of the time, which is understandable

Hotfail.com

He just comes across a complete gobshíte imo, don't know why.

Golf is crap anyway. :P

fleet_admiral

I would rather watch paint dry than watch golf

Kermit.de.frog

He's the British no 1 that will representing Ireland in the Olympics. (But don't tell them that ).

LadyLucinda

I would say he was a nice guy but I though the same about Jimmy Saville. Breaking up with his girlfriend doesn't make him a bad guy. I would say he is genuine

digzy

Who cares? The guy is a professional sportsman. He's not obliged to make people like him unlike a politician who tries to be all things to all people.

I find it baffling when people ask this about public figures. Take Ashley cole for example. He's probably a but of a Cnut but his job is a footballer and if he's playing for your club or country why should you care what he does off the pitch once he delivers on it.

Aphex

Have no interest in him whatsoever. He does pull off a killer American accent in interviews though.

Kermit.de.frog

YFlyer wrote: »

Score card before signing autographs

This. Padraig Harrington thought he won a tournament but was disqualified just because he did not fill out scorecard correctly.

sinjin_smythe

digzy wrote: »

Who cares? The guy is a professional sportsman. He's not obliged to make people like him unlike a politician who tries to be all things to all people.

I find it baffling when people ask this about public figures. Take Ashley cole for example. He's probably a but of a Cnut but his job is a footballer and if he's playing for your club or country why should you care what he does off the pitch once he delivers on it.

Understand what your saying, id put the sport before the character but im only looking for a bit of discussion on it plus you gotta look at the type of role model he is portraying.

I think honestly you gotta be a w*nker to make it competitively in any field and unfortunately nice guys finish last!

Turtyturd

Aphex wrote: »

Have no interest in him whatsoever. He does pull off a killer American accent in interviews though.

It's quite the mix, it's impossible to listen to him talk without focusing on it.

First Up

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

This. Padraig Harrington thought he won a tournament but was disqualified just because he did not fill out scorecard correctly.

He was disqualified before the final round. He was leading but he hadn't won it.

Joe Doe

Seems decent fella, a bit monotone as someone else mentioned. He must get tired of people taking selfies with him or asking for signatures, that's for sure.

D'Mail said: "Rory McIlroy's rumoured lingerie model love interest Nadia Forde may have helped him to his first ever Open title".
For a weekend with that nice lady I'd win the Open!, and don't even play the walk around the park stick ball

Would like to see the chap from that Happy Gilmore documentary film win some golf tours, liven it up a bit...

Nib

A good walk ruined.

Sugar Free

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

This. Padraig Harrington thought he won a tournament but was disqualified just because he did not fill out scorecard correctly.

Aye, it was mentioned on Newstalk this morning too.

LadyLucinda

Sugar Free wrote: »

Aye, it was mentioned on Newstalk this morning too.

y wud u get disqualified from a tournament for not filling out a score card?

happyoutscan

In an ideal world he'd have at least given the young lad a thumbs up or ruffled his hair but his adrenaline was pumped and he wouldn't have expected the young lad to be there. No harm done.

Murray007

He acts immature, self centered, arrogant vain, the perfect mix for a professional sportsman.

--LOS--

ehhh I don't know him so I wouldn't know. I wouldn't judge anything from that stupid video that was circulating, could be any number of reasons why he didn't stop to sign, even if he just couldn't bothered, not really worthy of any judgement. I guess people just like to look at celebrities under a microscope

Hotfail.com

I really wish he punched the child, that would have been perfect.

Lucas Castroman

131spanner wrote: »

In terms of ability he's a machine, incredible talent. As for his attitude, that young lad shouldn't have been there anyway, and was ushered off by stewards seconds later. McIlroy was on his way to sign his score card anyway, afaik.

Seems like a decent chap, but like many athletes of his caliber I'd imagine he'd put his form and winning above PR most of the time, which is understandable

When men in their 40's/50's can excel at your chosen "sport" then an athlete you most certainly are not. Golf is a silly game like snooker or tiddlywinks. The average irish person on the street couldn't give a toss about his achievements.... he only represents himself. Our admiration should be reserved for people who excel at the top level in genuine international sports ... soccer, athletics etc. Sadly, these are few and far between.

PizzamanIRL

Don't know.

If he's nice, he's nice. If he's not, he's not. Doesn't/won't bother me in the slightest

muddypaws

I'm really sorry to be pedantic, but its not the British Open. Its the Open Championship, or The Open, nothing else needed in front of it.

I don't know if he's a nice guy or not, I've never met him, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a photo op very soon with him and that lad, giving him a signed glove or similar.

Mezcita

This thread is bull****.

MortGoldman

Out of curiosity, why do competitors have to keep track of their own score (ie. filling out scorecard). Surely in modern sport, its all computerised and its capable of figuring out what each golfer has 'scored'.

Sugar Free

LadyLucinda wrote: »

y wud u get disqualified from a tournament for not filling out a score card?

No idea, I don't play golf. I'm just going off the news reports that there is a rule or at least a request by the governing body that players don't sign autographs until after they've handed in their scorecard.

muddypaws

MortGoldman wrote: »

Out of curiosity, why do competitors have to keep track of their own score (ie. filling out scorecard). Surely in modern sport, its all computerised and its capable of figuring out what each golfer has 'scored'.

Because golf is also supposed to be about honesty and sporting behaviour. You are trusted not to cheat.

Turtwig

The only people who can answer this are the people who interact with him on a regular basis. Nobody else can really claim either good or bad. However, until we know otherwise we should assume he is a nice guy. Most strangers are nice you see.

efb

He was a hairy young lad- imagined being hassled at work like that.

The Nadia thing is to her promote singing career. No truth in that

Senna

If he had of signed that young fella's autograph he could have been disqualified from the competition, they are told not to sign autographs or do interview etc before signing their card for the round.

happyoutscan

Hotfail.com wrote: »

I really wish he punched the child, that would have been perfect.

A bit ridiculous this post.

Cantremember

It doesn't matter. He's a nice golfer.

efb

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2014/07/21/tensions-ease-as-rory-mcilroy-autograph-kid-is-believed-to-be-russian

Excellent WW take on it

hawkelady

Aphex wrote: »

Have no interest in him whatsoever. He does pull off a killer American accent in interviews though.

I do believe you are thinking of Graeme McDowell ,aka GMAC !! Boom , " and he only in Merica for the weekend "

Stheno

LadyLucinda wrote: »

y wud u get disqualified from a tournament for not filling out a score card?

Yes

Lucas Castroman wrote: »

When men in their 40's/50's can excel at your chosen "sport" then an athlete you most certainly are not. Golf is a silly game like snooker or tiddlywinks. The average irish person on the street couldn't give a toss about his achievements.... he only represents himself. Our admiration should be reserved for people who excel at the top level in genuine international sports ... soccer, athletics etc. Sadly, these are few and far between.

Very few men in their forties excel in the Majors these days.

Hotfail.com

happyoutscan wrote: »

A bit ridiculous this post.

I think that was my intention.

irritablebaz

http://youtu.be/R7VjHw2kbTA

131spanner

Lucas Castroman wrote: »

When men in their 40's/50's can excel at your chosen "sport" then an athlete you most certainly are not. Golf is a silly game like snooker or tiddlywinks.

Why put sport in inverted commas? Golf is as much a sport as any other. A silly game? Absolute nonsense.

The average irish person on the street couldn't give a toss about his achievements.... he only represents himself.

False. He's representing Ireland in the 2016 Olympics.

Our admiration should be reserved for people who excel at the top level in genuine international sports ... soccer, athletics etc.

Give me one good reason why we wouldn't celebrate these so called "lesser" athletes? Why would we ignore the likes of McIlroy and Conor McGregor who excel in sports which are less popular in Ireland, relative to soccer, rugby etc? Success is still success, regardless of the popularity of the sport, and celebrated it should be.

Muahahaha

happyoutscan wrote: »

In an ideal world he'd have at least given the young lad a thumbs up or ruffled his hair but his adrenaline was pumped and he wouldn't have expected the young lad to be there. No harm done.

Exactly. Plus the fact that he had just won a Major. Part of the rules state that you have to get your scorecard in without delay, I think a player got disqualified a few years back for going to the toilet first.

He was in a zone having just played a winning round, all he would have been thinking of on that walk from the 18th green was getting into the hut with his scorecard to seal the deal and finally know the trophy was his. I don't blame him for being focused in that task.

In any case the kid shouldn't have been there, it was an unfair time to ask him for an autograph.

poppyvally

he dosent have much sex appeal, loadsa dosh though! Mmm

nocoverart

Comes across as a bit of a cold pr1ck TBH. He's actually overqualified to meet the criteria of being Northern Irish.

kneemos

I'm pretty sure if it turned out he was the son of the Virgin Mary we'd find some reason not to like him.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

mickydoomsux

He's kind of Irish and did a good sports thing.

HE'S MY HERO!!!!!!!!1111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

c_man

I wish Michael Douglas showed up at the Open, Falling Down style. I'd deffo watch then.

Joe Doe

Who has the best personality of all the stick ball players?
That fellow who smokes the cigars all the time and wears funny trousers, he'd be a good laff,
looks like he'd do the odd bit of stand-up comedy etc...

YFlyer

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

This. Padraig Harrington thought he won a tournament but was disqualified just because he did not fill out scorecard correctly.

Wow that was an expensive mistake.

vicwatson

A walk in a park with a purpose

Cienciano

I like watching golf, but McIlroy is a typical pro golfer. Zero personality, basically a corporate entity rather than a personality.
It's very hard to warm to any pro golfer

YFlyer

muddypaws wrote: »

Because golf is also supposed to be about honesty and sporting behaviour. You are trusted not to cheat.

And you're not allowed to spit on the fareway either :pac: