"This was about men like McIlroy, Rose and Kaymer and their wildly exciting journeys to scale the summit of their sport."

Exceptional read from Derek Lawrenson on the anatomy of a Sunday surge for Team Europe, with an emphasis on the stories of Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Justin Rose.

A few more details on Rory's near-disaster Sunday.

After ignoring a couple of calls from numbers he didn’t recognise, McIlroy eventually answered one from his manager, Conor Ridge.

‘Are you at the course?’ asked Conor.

‘No, I’m not,’ replied McIlroy.

‘You’re teeing off in 25 minutes.’

‘No, I’m not, it’s an hour and 25.’

‘You’re taking the mick, you’re at the golf course.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Rory, listen to me, you need to get there.’

So it was that McIlroy sprinted into the lobby and found the state trooper who might have been the American star of the final day. With the emergency light on and every speed limit broken, McIlroy sat in the patrol car on the edge of panic.

‘It would have been bad enough missing my tee-time playing for myself but letting down all my team-mates and the whole of Europe? I’ve never been so worried in my life,’ he confessed.

Comments

[No Longer Used to be Former S & T Convert]

Has to be more to the story. Doesn't add up that with all the Euros staying in one place no one had a face to face conversation with Rory Sunday morning.

[carnaptious and camsteerie]

S&T ... guess it just goes to prove how self-centred professional golfers are!(lol)

Mind you, this isn't to say they lack a sense of humour. Anyone see the over-sized wind-up clock they presented to Rory afterwards?

[thusgone]

i guess i'll just find me a state trooper the next time i'm late for something.

[Lip Out]

I'm not sure what to believe, but how does a state trooper just happen to be in the lobby? A state trooper! These guys are generally patrolling the interstate, not standing, in uniform, in the lobby of a hotel. Also, wasn't his car unmarked? Why the uniform if he's driving an unmarked car? Lots of questions!

[Del the Funk]

I'm with S&T...

[KLG]

A state trooper once found me when I was late for something. He didn't help at all; only made me later and poorer. In these parts state troopers are sometimes used for things other than hunting in packs on the interstates in unmarked cars. But they usually wear their uniforms...Rory is just one lucky doofus.

[Uh...]

@Lip out... Good post and you've added to my anger over the Rory scenario. Not you personally, but your thoughts are dead on.

[BC]

I believe is was all a plan, Rory warmed up at some other location and then was sped to the course just to throw off Bradley.
Don't you love it when a plan comes together...

[SSI Visitor]

On the news this am in Chicago, it turns out it was not a state trooper, but a Lombard, IL police officer assigned to security at the team hotel. Hew as interviewed, seems likea great guy. The "State Trooper" idea has legs in the media but is wrong.

[Hilltop]

No way does it matter if Rory missed his match time or not. There wasn't the slightest possibility that Keegan would have been awarded the point. They simply would have moved that match down the docket.

[Glyn]

I don't understand, does he normally plan to only show up 30-45 minutes beforehand to the course? Don't professionals usually plan to show up quite a bit earlier than that? In which case, although later than planned, I would think he would have been on site still previous to the 25 minutes he was at the hotel.