"It was special" - Irish golfer remembers playing against 15-year-old Rory McIlroy

"It was special" - Irish golfer remembers playing against 15-year-old Rory McIlroy

It is 20 years since the future world number one and Grand Slam winner lit up the fairways in Co Mayo to win the Irish Men's Amateur Close Championship

A tale of two Rorys - Rory Leonard remembers Rory McIlroy in Westport - Irish Golfer Magazine

Rory McIlroy had already won the Ulster Boys’, Irish Boys’ and Irish Youth’s Championships and the West of Ireland but this title in Westport was even more special. It’s 20 years since the future World No 1 lit up the fairways in Mayo to claim the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship. The 16-year-old defeated Eddie McCormack in the final after wins over Connor Doran and Sean McTernan. Indeed, McTernan was another one of the talking points …