Even at the tender age of nine Rory McIlroy exuded the type of confidence that finally secured his maiden victory in one of golf's greatest tournaments. He had just celebrated his birthday and the young Holywood boy was preparing to fly off to Florida for his first international competition – the junior under-10 world championship.
Nicknamed "Mac the Knife" at St Patrick's primary school because of his early reputation for dispatching rivals on the fairways, McIlroy vowed back then he would eventually take on and beat his hero Tiger Woods. "I just want to be the best," he said in an interview with a local paper. "I already know that I've got a wee bit of something going for me. I hope to do what Tiger Woods has done."
Last night he fulfilled those childhood hopes and dreams and delighted the throng of supporters packed into Holywood golf club where his dad, Gerry, once worked serving pints behind the bar while his mother did night shifts in a factory to fund their son's fledgling golfing career.
On Father's Day he gave his dad the greatest present in his meteoric rise to the top of the golfing world – not only to his father but to all the other dads and their families enjoying a Father's Day lunch or a round on the fairways at the course overlooking Belfast Lough. The young champion's dedication to the club that nurtured him can be seen on the walls. They are advertising a "Rory McIlroy Classic" for 19 August where their local hero will appear in person to hand out the prizes at a fundraiser for juniors at the club.
About an hour before he began the final phase of play there was a nervous, subdued atmosphere in and around the club. There were no good luck banners, no sense of euphoria, as a result of what happened at the Masters two months ago when McIlroy's game fell apart in the final round. However, in preparation of victory the club had secured a late licence to keep the bar open until 1am and his uncle Colm came out to conduct television interviews.
As well as lifting the spirits of the entire community in Northern Ireland McIlroy's exploits may also help resuscitate the province's ailing tourist industry. On the same day as his triumph it was announced that 300,000 fewer tourists visited Northern Ireland within a year, marking a massive drop in revenue for the cash-strapped economy. Now Rory is being urged to ride to the rescue.
Mike Nesbitt, a former Ulster Television presenter turned Ulster Unionist Assembly member describes the McIlroy effect as a "tourist gift". "It is interesting to note where the winners have come from over the last 10 years," said Nesbitt. "It's Minnesota, with a population of 5.3m; Missouri, 5.9m; California, 36m; South Africa, 49.3m; New Zealand, 4.3m; Australia, 22.5m; Argentina, 39m; California again; South Carolina, 4.2m; and Northern Ireland, with a mere 1.7m.
"In that context what are the odds of one golfer from such a small country winning the US Open, never mind two in a row? Rory and Graeme McDowell [last year's champion] have achieved unbelievable success in what is the world's toughest competition. There may be only 60 or so players on the Congressional course today but over 8,000 entered the competition in its qualifying phases.
"As for the positive publicity, you cannot put a price on it. A 30-second TV commercial tonight will cost $300,000 or more on an American network. On that basis Rory is generating the equivalent of hundreds of millions of pounds of goodwill for the Northern Ireland tourism market. So this is not just about one young man and one very special golf tournament. It is about portraying a different, positive vision of Northern Ireland and we all have good reason to be thankful to both Rory and Graeme for what they do and the manner they do it, for they both come across as the sort of people you would love to meet."
With his potential salvation of Northern Irish economy, the young golfer's fans, who include tennis star Rafael Nadal, will be wondering if there is nothing he cannot do.
