‘I’ve tried not to watch’ – Rory McIlroy fights back tears over ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment ahead of USPGA

RORY MCILROY still has to fight back tears every time he watches the dramatic conclusion to his quest for golf’s Grand Slam.

Even though McIlroy’s Masters triumph was almost a month ago, the emotions that saw him collapse to his knees and burst into tears are still just as powerful now.

GettyRory McIlroy has opened up on his amazing Masters success[/caption] McIlroy, 36, won the Masters last monthSportsfile

Going back to Northern Ireland to celebrate with his parents took things to a new level, with McIlroy revealing that he and mum Rosie were “an absolute mess” as they shared a tear-soaked hug.

And it looked as if he might burst into tears again as he reflected on his play-off victory over Justin Rose before beginning his bid for Major No 6 at the USPGA today.

McIlroy commented: “I’ve tried not to watch the TV footage too much because I want to remember the feelings I had at that moment, just what it meant to me once the final putt dropped.

“When I re-watch a lot of things back, I tend to remember the visuals of the TV, rather than what I was feeling and what I was seeing through my own eyes. So I’ve tried to avoid that a bit.

“But any time I have seen it on TV, I well up again. I still feel like I want to cry. My reaction was just an involuntary thing, I’ve never felt a release like that before, and I might never feel a release like that again.

“That could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was a very cool moment.”

McIlroy, 36, said finally completing the career Grand Slam means he has achieved everything he dreamed of when he started playing the game.

He insisted there will be plenty more career highlights to come. But he is not going to heap more pressure on himself by setting grand new goals.

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Taking time to reflect on the Masters victory that made him only the sixth golfer to win all four Majors, in addition to spending 122 weeks as the world No 1, has brought a huge sense of fulfilment.

McIlroy explained: “I have achieved everything that I’ve wanted to in the game.

“I dreamed as a child of becoming the best player in the world and winning all the Majors. I’ve done that. Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus.

“I can tell you that achieving the dream of a lifetime is everything I thought it would be. And the outpouring of support and congratulatory messages since Augusta has been absolutely amazing.

“Look, everyone needs to have goals and dreams, and I’ve been able to do something that I dreamed of for a long time.

“I’m still going to set myself goals. I’m still going to try to achieve certain things. But I sit here knowing that that very well could be the highlight of my career. And that’s a very cool thing.

“I want to still create a lot of other highlights and high points, but I’m not sure if any other win will live up to what happened a few weeks ago.”

McIlroy has previously talked about trying to become the first player to win all four Majors in the same year – or to chase down Harry Vardon’s record of seven Major victories, and Gary Player’s haul of nine, the next by a non-American golfer.

But he added: “I think everyone saw how hard having a north star is to pursue, and how much it meant being able to get over the line.

“I’ve talked in the past about trying to become the best European ever or the best international player. But I feel like I sort of burdened myself with the Career Grand Slam stuff, and I want to enjoy this.

“I want to enjoy what I’ve achieved, and I want to enjoy the last decade or whatever of my career, and I don’t want to burden myself again with numbers or statistics.

“I’ve always said I won’t put a number on how many Majors I want to finish with. I just want to go and try to play the best golf I can, because if I do that I know I’ll give myself more chances.”