More than 25,000 people braved hailstones and thundery showers at the K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare, on Sunday to see Rory McIlroy win his first Irish Open.
A steady crowd shadowed the home favourite as he made his way around the Co Kildare course, with the erratic weather that was a feature of the whole weekend proving more of an inconvenience to spectators than a deterrent.
The first of the hailstorms early in the afternoon sent many running for cover while others squatted in clusters close to the ground with umbrellas held aloft like shields.
Huddled in the trees during this hailstorm, Michelle and John Nicol, originally from South Africa but living in Straffan for more than a year, said the poor conditions were “part of the adventure”.
Michelle, in particular, was a big McIlroy fan. “I think the weather will make it a little bit easier for him because he’ll be more used to it than some of the other guys,” she said.
It seemed as though the entire K Club crowd was rooting for McIlroy; there were murmurs of discontent at the 12th hole tee box as he approached after bogeying the 11th.
“He doesn’t look happy,” observed one of the spectators, trying to read what had been missed on the 11th green. But, moments later, McIlroy sailed his tee shot to within 10 feet of the hole and the worry disappeared from the faces.
By the time McIlroy was making his way up the 18th fairway, the sky had cleared, the sun had come out, and the roar of the crowd, which snaked around the green and the clubhouse, would have told him the hard work had been done and he could enjoy his moment.
As he approached and the crowd roared again, he blew out his cheeks and looked to the sky before taking his cap off and raising his hands above his head to applaud the support.
Nobody at the 18th needed to be able to see the green to know he was about to roll in his last putt of the weekend, as almost every arm on the edge of the green shot up in the air with mobile phone in hand.
Don Walker (66) and his wife Jane Walker (65) from Austin, Texas, arrived on the scene just in time for the climax. “We’re here on vacation and we just happened to be staying at the K Club,” they said.
"Because of all the rain delays, the players were still playing when we got here, so we thought we would walk out and try to catch a little of the excitement. Jordan Spieth is our favourite because he's from Texas like us but we're really happy for Rory. It's wonderful to be here to share in the excitement. Just to have a chance to watch it is a thrill."
The atmosphere compared to competitions in the US was “a lot rowdier”, according to Jane, while Don, who has attended the Masters in Augusta twice, agreed.
“There’s no running allowed at the Masters,” he said. “There are no cellphones allowed there either, but these are people and they’re people who love golf.”
Thrilled
David Kennedy (33) travelled from Co
Donegal
to watch the action, and he too was thrilled with McIlroy’s victory. “I’ve been following him around all day and the weather has obviously been atrocious so I’m delighted he managed to pull it together in the last few holes. It would have been a nightmare to throw it away after being in the mix for so long.”
Alan Reynolds (46) from Bray was one man who felt the weather ruined the day for him. “If the sun was out we’d be sitting on the grass and we might think differently,” he said. “But it’s typical Irish Open weather – lashing rain one minute and then the sun is out the next.”
Speaking as McIlroy was making his way up the front nine, he said he didn’t care whether the Northern Irishman won or not.
“To be honest, I’d prefer if he didn’t win,” he said. “That’s my opinion anyway. I’d rather see a Joe Soap we’ve never heard of win it. You don’t want the same people winning the whole time.”
