Rory McIlroy is golf’s top ambassador at just the time it most needs one.
Not only is he the sport’s best player, he has fast become a lead character and is a figure of ever growing influence.
The 31-year-old from Northern Ireland was the force behind the return of televised golf last Sunday with the TaylorMade Driving Relief event at Seminole in Florida in aid of Covid-19 charities.
McIlroy hit the winning shot in a tie-breaking nearest-the-pin competition, but that was a side issue. He called it an “awesome day” and added: “All of us were out here for a great cause.
“It was nice to get back on the golf course and get back to some sort of normalcy.”
During a patchy event, the world number one’s personality shone through much more than American team-mate Dustin Johnson and opponents Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
It was as though McIlroy was the golfer who most appreciated the reasons for players wearing individual microphones.
Not that his chat was particularly earth shattering, but at least he possessed an appreciation that an audience might be listening. Articulating the charitable aspect, he had the words and ease of delivery to do justice to the multi-million dollar relief project.
But not even he could completely carry a shoestring broadcast that marked professional golf’s return to the global airwaves.
With only six cameras and overhead blimp shots, no crowds and a largely unfamiliar skins format, the event often struggled to capture the imagination.
A bewilderingly lopsided interview with film star Bill Murray was amateurish and added nothing, but other aspects did make it a noteworthy occasion.
The Seminole course was a joy, even if modern driving distances seriously compromise the integrity of the stunning layout, designed by Donald Ross.
On another level, it was interesting to see male players in shorts. Would the golfing world lose much if this became a norm in the men’s game?
Players carrying their own bags was another refreshing dimension, although Johnson clearly struggled to get to grips with the apparent complexities of a double shoulder strap.
The former US Open champion also had problems containing his spitting habit and an early on course interview appeared to ride roughshod over two metre social distancing rules.
But at least we were watching some of the best players in the world. Golf is at the forefront of America’s attempts to return to some kind of sporting normality.-BBC
