2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Tom Sunderland)
English football icon Gary Lineker was forthcoming in his praise of Rory McIlroy following his "mesmerising" Masters win. And the former England striker has revealed the chance encounter that saw him bump into the Northern Irish wonder when he was still a pup. A keen golfer in his spare time, Lineker was among the millions on the edge of their seats as McIlroy defeated Justin Rose in a play-off to end his Masters hoodoo.
And it was thanks to another golfing great that he happened to cross paths with McIlroy many moons ago. Lineker described himself as "a massive Rory fan" after The Rest Is Football co-host Micah Richards gave the golfer kudos in light of his latest achievement. And the Leicester City legend recalled his days playing alongside Darren Clarke at Queenwood Golf Club in Surrey when a certain up-and-comer dropped in.
"Many, many years ago, I used to play quite a lot with Darren Clarke, a great golfer himself," said Lineker. "And he said, 'Can you play tomorrow?' I went, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm around.' And he said, 'I've got this young boy coming who's gonna be the next giant of golf!' I said, 'Really?' He went, 'Yeah, a 14-year-old.
' So I get there, and it's Rory. Rory McIlroy. "So I played with this kid.
Oh, my god. This tiny little kid, 14, and he was just ripping it. He shot like 69 or something, from the back tees! So I've always followed his career subsequently, and he's had so many ups and downs.
I think the whole nation was desperate for him to do it [win the Masters]." The figures certainly suggest as much given Sky Sports reported Sunday's final round was its most watched day in the broadcaster's history . A peak audience of 1.
85million tuned in to see McIlroy get it across the line at Augusta, with some 37% of the UK's watching public locked in at some point throughout the day. "Imagine the pressure on him because 'It's the one that's missed,'" Lineker continued. "And then you get people over the years saying, 'Aw, he's a choker.
' Absolutely [not], they have no idea. No idea what it must be like to undergo that kind of pressure. And to come through all that, and with so many ups and downs on the final day.
"It was the most mesmerising, horrific, torturous watch that I've ever done. But in the end it was completely magnificently magical!" Newcastle legend Alan Shearer piled on the praise by dubbing Sunday's play-off entertainment "at its very best." Lineker went on to tell the tale of watching the drama through clenched teeth alongside his family, not to mention the emotional peaks and troughs that came thanks to McIlroy's wobbles here and there.
"Honestly, it was like somebody had lost their life on 13 [when McIlroy double-bogeyed]," he continued. "[Imitates pulling hair out] 'No, no! What've you done? You could've put it anywhere!' But at the end, it was like Leicester won the league again! We were all dancing around, all of us hugging and crying! It was beautiful watching." All three former footballers also gave play-off runner-up Rose his flowers as Shearer called the Englishman a "class act.
" Richards even went so far as to dub Rose his "favourite" at the tournament following what could have been the biggest win of his career to date. Speaking prior to the tournament on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips, Lineker voiced his support for McIlroy and hope that he would get the job done in Georgia. The ex-England icon said he would "love him to win it" and admitted to being a "massive fan" of the Holywood native.
And it was some 20 or so years ago that their relationship first sprouted, with Clarke to thank for them crossing paths in the first place. Lineker inadvertently got the inside scoop on probably the greatest golfer of this generation, a narrative that was all but confirmed as McIlroy finally slipped on his first green jacket..
