What tour pros REALLY think of Rory McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy’s friends, contemporaries and competitors reveal what they really think about him as a golfer and a man.

Justin Thomas

“My first memory of seeing Rory up close was four years ago at the Bear’s Club, near where we both live in the Jupiter, Florida area. I was just 19 and not even on the PGA Tour at that point. He was already a Major champion and a superstar. I was hitting balls next to him. There aren’t many players I stop to watch hit, but he was one of them. Just seeing him hit long irons and drivers is so impressive.”

Tiger Woods wants his son, Charlie Woods, to copy Rory McIlroy's golf swing more than his own.

Tiger Woods

“I told (son) Charlie, ‘Don’t copy my swing, copy Rory’s’. Have you ever seen Rory off balance on a shot? No. Not ever. You can swing as hard as you want, but you need to have balance.”

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry play a lot of golf together

Shane Lowry

“Over the last few years, we’ve grown closer than we ever have been. I live 10 minutes from him, our wives are very good friends, we’ve got kids of similar ages. We do hang out a bit, we play practice rounds together. I play quite a bit with him at the club. It’s definitely helped me, over the years, playing golf with him – if you go out for a round on a Tuesday and you don’t shoot -8, you’re losing the money!”

Find out what more players, including Will Zalatoris, Darren Clark, Jon Rahm and Thomas Bjorn think of Rory on the Today’s Golfer Members’ website.

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