Call Rory McIlroy a traditionalist, a history lover or even as he put it, “a self-confessed golf nerd,” but the four-time major winner from Northern Ireland always has believed there’s something special about winning a national open.
“Most of the oldest events in our game are National Opens and I’ve been very fortunate enough to win quite a few,” said McIlroy, who won the 2019 RBC Canadian Open as well as the Australian Open, Hong Kong Open, Irish Open and U.S. Open. “One of the great things about our game is you can in some way compare yourself to historical figures. Figures that I’ve never met before, but I look at a trophy that my name’s on and Walter Hagan’s name is on there or Gene Sarazen or Byron Nelson or Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer or whoever it is. And I think that’s one of the coolest things about our sport that not a lot of other sports can sort of tap into.”
McIlroy would love nothing more than to have his name etched on the RBC Canadian Open trophy again Sunday and his title defense at the 111th playing of this national open – three years later due to COVID-19 – in Toronto, Canada started swimmingly as he posted 4-under 66 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club.
