Rory McIlroy said he never considered skipping this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans after winning the Masters because he believes winning the team event with good friend Shane Lowry a year ago helped propel him to finally completing the career Grand Slam.
“It’s amazing what a year can do,” McIlroy told reporters during a news conference Wednesday at TPC Louisiana. “This tournament last year was a really cool moment for both of us. I think it probably injected a little bit of joy back into golf for me in some way, which I think is really, really important, not to lose that.
“Yeah, for me, I had a great year last year, and I think this tournament was sort of the catalyst to the really good golf that I played for the rest of the year.”
McIlroy said the past 10 days have been a whirlwind since he defeated Justin Rose in a one-hole playoff at Augusta National Golf Club to capture a green jacket and become the sixth golfer to win the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship.
McIlroy and his wife, Erica, traveled to London to see the house they are building there. They visited McIlroy’s parents in Northern Ireland and spent some time with his caddie, Harry Diamond, and longtime coach, Michael Bannon.
“[To] celebrate with the people that have been a part of this whole thing for my entire career, my entire life, was absolutely amazing,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy said he is battling a cold from his travels but was prepared to try to defend his Zurich Classic title with Lowry. They defeated Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer on the first hole of a playoff in McIlroy’s first appearance in the event last year.
“If you had asked me a year ago if I’d be sitting here in this position and everything that’s happened,” McIlroy said. “But yeah, I honestly could not be in a better place in my life professionally, personally, all of it.”
McIlroy said two presidents reached out to him the day after he picked up his fifth major championship victory and first since the 2014 PGA Championship. He said he also heard from other celebrities outside of golf.
“It’s been an amazing few days after, and to be able to reflect on it and everything that happened and the magnitude of everything, I think the big thing for me is just how the whole journey sort of resonated with people and the people that have reached out to me,” he said. “That’s been absolutely amazing. Look, it’s not every day you get to fulfill one of your lifelong goals and dreams, and I’ve just really tried to enjoy everything that comes along with that.”
Lowry wondered whether McIlroy would still want to play in the Zurich Classic, regardless of what happened on the second nine at Augusta National. After McIlroy carded a double-bogey on the par-5 13th hole, Lowry told his caddie, Darren Reynolds, that they would be lucky to play in the Zurich Classic.
“If things didn’t go his way, I don’t think he’d want to be here, and I thought if things did go his way, he’d want to be somewhere else,” Lowry said. “But I’m happy he’s here.”
While they were celebrating McIlroy’s elusive Masters victory Sunday night, Lowry asked him whether he still planned on playing in the team event. McIlroy told him, “Absolutely, we’re defending a title.”
“I’m eager to get back out there,” McIlroy said. “I think this is the perfect atmosphere to do it in. I think that’s a part of the reason that I wanted to honor the commitment to be here is because it’s a fun event to be out there with Shane. I also know that it’s not all on me; he has to do some of the work too. Maybe a lot of it the next two days.”
Lowry and McIlroy will tee off at 7:52 a.m. ET Thursday in the first round. No pair has ever defended its title since the team format was introduced in 2017.
“Once I got back from Ireland on Sunday, then when I woke up Monday morning, I could barely get out of bed. I was feeling that bad,” McIlroy said. “I think just to be here and feeling better is an achievement. But I need to put a little bit of practice and a bit of work in today to make sure that I don’t let this man down this week.”
