Rory McIlroy

Aaron O'Callaghan and Gareth Shaw — team-mates of the trio at the 2006 European Youths — recount their journey to the top.

If he had a little bit of Shane in him – where he’s just trying to get the ball in the hole – it might might serve him better. In an interview with the Sunday Independent after the Masters, Lowry revealed he got a congratulatory text from McIlroy on his third-place finish showing at Augusta. “Yeah, but I would rather it was me second and you third to be honest.” But in the GUI team events it was more about playing steady and safe, making your par and getting on with it.” That achievement was reported by the Irish Times but it took until last year for him to rocket to the general Irish fan’s consciousness, as he won his first PGA tour title at the Barbasol Championship. Power’s world ranking dropped as low as 463rd at the start of 2021: he’s currently 42nd. He is more carefree, he loves to play the game.” He was trying to be the best player in the world.” He was incredibly good and presented himself that way, that ‘I’m going to be one of the best players of all time.’ And you couldn’t argue with him when he’d go out there and he kept winning.” He told me he was proud of me for what I was doing.” I’m capable of winning a lot of events on the PGA Tour and being the best player in the world.” It was possibly a case of expectations getting on top of him, and then you mix that in with a brutally difficult golf course and a tough day. But he was sending his little woods up around the greens, and just chipping it to to a foot and then all of a sudden I’d have to get down in two from 30 feet just to halve the hole. “I did get him in the end, but I had to play fantastically well,” remembers O’Callaghan. “I was probably 80 yards past him off the tee.