Rory Mcilroy

Rory Mcilroy QuoteRyan WHero: A hero is a person that cares about others, a person that inspires others, and a person that does good things to help others. Rory Mcilroy is my hero who fits this definition. On May 4, 1989, Mcilroy was born in “Hollywood, Northern Ireland, the only child of Gerry and Rosie McIlroy. His father worked three jobs to support his son's golf ambitions, including bartending at Hollywood Golf Club, while his mother worked in a factory” ("Rory McIlroy." Newsmakers). He started his professional golf career in 2007 ("Rory McIlroy." Newsmakers). He won his first professional tournament in 2009, and lives in Ireland (“Rory McIlroy.” Biography.com). Rory Mcilroy is a hero because he inspires others, like myself, to play sports at a young age. He also possesses traits that make him a hero, like being selfless and being kind to others. Rory Mcilroy is known for his golf, but he has done other things that make him a hero, such as creating a charity fund and encouraging others never to give up.

Mcilroy HeadshotTourProGolfClubs [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]Rory Mcilroy made a charity fund that supports kids who are less fortunate and can't afford to play sports. Rory made this charity fund for different charities each year. During 2016, his charity “The Rory McIlroy Foundation Limited, which is a company registered in London, dispensed a total of £1.15 million… to charities based in Ireland and the UK” (McDonagh). This whole foundation is dedicated to donating money to non-profit organizations, that help kids afford to play the sports they love. He donates money to different charities each year that he thinks needs the money. Rory Mcilroy “secured €951,000 for three children's charities on the back of last year's Irish Open. Money raised by the Rory Foundation saw Barretstown, the Jack and Jill Foundation and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice each receive €317,000” (McGonagle). Rory Mcilroy donates money that he wins from tournaments. This year the money was funded by the Irish Open that he won. This makes a person a hero, helping other people and being selfless. Mcilroy shows the traits of a hero by helping others and giving money to charity.

Mcilroy DriveTourProGolfClubs [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]Rory shows people not to give up by persevering even when he is not doing good. Mcilroy has not won a major since 2014, but he says, “but I'm trying. I'm trying my best every time I tee it up, and it just hasn't happened. You know, I'll give it a good go this week” (“Ready To Flick”). Even though Rory is not winning, he is not giving up, and trying his best. This shows that he’s a hero by encouraging people not to give up and to keep going even if you may not be doing your best. Mcilroy keeps playing golf: he “came up empty in subsequent chances to add to his major trophy collection, though he continued to display the talent that kept him among the favorites” (“Rory McIlroy.” Biography.com). Rory is still playing well, but not good enough to win a major, yet he is still trying. He is still one of the greatest golfers, and he is motivated to play and get better to win another major. Rory continues to play and get better, showing people that the more you play, the better you will get.

Rory Mcilroy may be a great golfer, but he has done more things that make him a deserving hero. He is a motivation towards young golfers to play and making a charity fund for kids to play sports. Mcilroy has set records for being a young golfer and, “at age 16, he became the youngest player to win two events—the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Close Championship— and he successfully defended both titles the following year. He took home the 2006 European Amateur title (“Rory McIlroy.” Biography.com). Rory Mcilroy has set many records as a young golfer, which encourages kids to play sports at a young age. When I was younger, I would watch him play golf, and it made me want to play golf, because he was good. He was also a young player, so it inspires me to play too.  

Work Cited

McDonagh, Darragh. “Rory McIlroy Donated Almost €1m to Charities Last Year.” The Irish Times, The Irish Times, 10 Oct. 2017, www.irishtimes.com/business/rory-mcilroy-donated-almost-1m-to-charities-last-year-1.3250734.

McGonagle, Suzanne. “Rory Foundation to Support Young People through Sport at This Year's Irish Open.” The Irish News, 28 Mar. 2017,www.irishnews.com/news/2017/03/29/news/rory-foundation-to-support-young-people-through-sport-at-this-year-s-irish-open-980838/.

"READY TO FLICK the switch on; THE OPEN; Balanced frame of mind puts McIlroy right incontention." Daily Mail [London, England], 19 July 2018, p. 54. Biography In Context,https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A546953324/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=faa8783d. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019.

“Rory McIlroy.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 18 Mar. 2019,www.biography.com/people/rory-mcilroy-20930063.

"Rory McIlroy." Newsmakers, vol. 3, Gale, 2011. Student Resources In Context,https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618005529/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=9fafd2e6. Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.