A Rory McIlroy flashback to the 2008 Omega European Masters

By Rahul Banerji

Eleven years ago, Rory McIlroy was the coming thing in European golf. A stellar amateur run had marked him out for potential greatness and though he had to wait till the next year for his maiden win in Dubai, it was at the 2008 Omega European Masters that McIlroy announced his arrival on the big stage.

The famed Swiss watch-makers had invited journalists from around the world for their flagship European Tour event, and it brought us face to face with the then 19-year-old, who then looked amazingly like English actor Rowan Atkinson, a.k.a Mr Bean. The resemblance reduces with passing years though.

I remember sitting at the back of the press tent with McIlroy surrounded by a group of Irish reporters and trying to decipher his accent, and failing miserably.

In the event, McIlroy was to finish second behind Jeff Lucquin of France who had his moment of fame on a drizzly September evening.

Late collapse

The teenaged McIlroy had taken a four-shot lead into the final day after opening with a 9-under 63 at the par-72 Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club but the Frenchman played an inspired final round to tie scores at 13-under and then won in a playoff.

To date the 2008 Omega Masters remains the only European Tour win on Lucquin;s resume and his paycheque that day his biggest ever winnings.

It was an interesting outing as Omega pulled out all the stops including a tour of their facilities in Bien and lavish hospitality. With the three Indians in the fray – Shiv Kapur, Digvijay Singh and Gaurav Ghei – not making the cut and McIlroy’s English beyond our limited comprehension, the hospitality tent was home for the final too days.

Great form

Fast forward to 2019 and McIlroy will go into the US Open later this week as one of the favourites. He has hit a terrific vein of form with two wins (before this the Players Championship) and a string of top-10 finishes and his 16^th PGA Tour title at Hamilton sets him up very nicely indeed for Pebble Beach.

At the Canadian Open, McIlroy birdied four of his first five holes at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club to pull away from the rest before finishing on a whopping 22-under par 258. He was actually on course for a final round of 59 before two bogeys in the last three holes sank that chance.

Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson finished second behind McIlroy on 15-under par, and Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar were next best at 13-under.

“By the time I got to the 14^th tee, I really wasn’t thinking about winning the tournament, I was thinking of trying to shoot 59. I had to reassess my goals a little bit on the middle of that back nine,” McIlroy said later.

“This is what I feel I can do. I’ve been able to do it before and it was nice to get back to that feeling. It’s been a while. I think it’s going back to Quail Hollow in 2015. I won by seven shots there.”

Tournament record

McIlroy’s 258 was a tournament record against the earlier one of 263 and his best four-day score ever on the PGA Tour.

“Saturday, I felt really comfortable with my game and I played aggressively, was sort of swinging very freely and shot that 64 to get myself tied for the lead going into today,” said McIlroy later.

“And what I think I’m proudest of was still playing with that freedom today. I just put my foot down and made this tournament mine.

“I’ve been playing well, basically, all year. I’ve been giving myself loads of chances to win. I guess the knock could be that I haven’t won more.

“I found a little groove and I want to keep it going.

Final results: RBC Canadian Open

Also read: McIlroy-speak: Inside the mind of a champion