Chicago Fans Don't You Dare Go Bartman On Us: Rory's Angel Chauffeur Revealed

Colin Murray interviews (BBC 5 Live audio here) Patrick Rollins, deputy chief of Illinois Lombard Police Department, who got Rory McIlroy to the Ryder Cup just in time for the World No. 1's match against Keegan Bradley.

Michael Sneed in the Sun Times also writes about Rollins.

“He looked stunned, anxious and looked like a lot was going through his mind like I would have been,” said Rollins. “So I asked him if he’d be okay with me driving because of the possibility of motion sickness.”
McIlroy said: “No, just get me there. Get me there.”

Quoth Rollins: “He was very composed, but I kept reassuring him we’d get to the course on time. I believe it was 11 a.m. when he got in the car and we must have gotten to the club in 30 minutes. It’s hard to gauge.”
Rollins radioed ahead to traffic posts, used his sirens to bust-up traffic at one juncture and got McIlroy to the golf course in the nick of time.

The rest is history.

This better not happen.

Comments

[Hilltop]

Thank goodness he was there to escort Rory. Can you imagine the furor and conspiracy theories if Rory hadn't made it? Somehow, I'm sure that the U.S. would have been to blame. Personally, I think the captains would have simply rearranged the order with no points being lost.

[Golden Bell]

No worries. Golf fans in Chicago are rational. Cubs fans are not.

[Del the Funk]

The video shows that Rory's caddie JP was also in the cop car.....apparently JP really is as big a hack as Jay Townsend highlighted.

[Hilltop]

If that's the case Del, JP should be fired immediately. It's one thing for Rory to have a brain cramp, but quite another for his caddy to lose track of time...Unless, there is more to the story.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

So Rory arrived 1 hour and 11 minutes before what he thought was his tee time.

And only because a police officer drove for 30 minutes like a madman, busting up traffic with his siren.

So how was Rory going to arrive in time for his imaginary tee time?

At any rate, I'm glad that the cup was won on the course, and not on the highway.

[Ghillie]

I'm telling you, Rory's head was in Japan.

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

I said it on an earlier thread, there has to be more to the story, I didn't know then that the looper was in the car as well. Which makes the reported story even more implausible.

[A3]

rory and caddie must have been doing poppers and listening to Donna Summer. The last dance from previous night of partying with MJ and Tiger. Yes there must more to the story! how about slept in late, sexting with Caroline and breakfast, a little hotel porn and shower. Oops I am late.!

[Ghillie]

Rory's brain-flap is the sort of thing Padraig Harrington used to be renowned for. So his spirit was represented at Medinah...despite the fact that I don't think any of his posse are lamenting his not being picked now, unlike the Mahanites.

[John C]

I think Chicago fans got over the RC loss in about... oh 1 minute... with focus turned to the drive back and evening traffic.

Cubs fans have yet to get over 1969 let alone 1984 and 2003.

[DG]

Everything was going the EU team's way. It was providence, man.