Despite earning a top spot in the DP World Tour, Marcus Armitage feels like a ‘fraud’. But that is one that golf’s biggest superstars, Rory McIlroy, helped silence.

Beyond the records and championships, Rory McIlroy has won hearts with his humility and presence, which has also affected his contemporaries, including DP World Tour professional Marcus Armitage.

In a recent appearance on the ‘Life on Tour Podcast‘ hosted by George Harper Jr., Armitage opened up about a kind gesture by McIlroy that made him feel comfortable. Initially, while being asked to describe the feelings he had after receiving his European Tour Card for the first time, the 38-year-old expressed regret at not being able to enjoy the achievement, as he didn’t feel like he belonged there.

“Yeah, it’s amazing. But when I look back at it now, I feel a little bit sad for myself because at the time, I didn’t go, ‘Oh, I’ve got a tour card, I’m gonna go and do this, how lucky am I,'” he said. “Like just enjoy this because it’s gonna get taken away from you. Like it’s a weird thing because I got there and I just didn’t believe I were good enough to be there. Imposter Syndrome massively.”

Armitage also reflected on the time he got to be around the likes of Pablo Larrazabal, Retief Goosen, and Rory McIlroy. He also recalled the time when McIlroy was kind enough to allow a picture, even though he had just lost a playoff.

Notably, the Englishman secured the European Tour Card for the first time ahead of the 2017 season following some phenomenal showings on the Challenge Tour. This included the victory at the Foshan Open courtesy of a score of  19-under par. However, the joy didn’t last long as he lost his card at the end of the season.

The resilient Armitage continued to put in the work and eventually managed to earn his card back through Qualifying School ahead of the 2020 season. Then in 2021, he had his moment of glory as he emerged triumphant in the Porsche European Open. His score of 8-under par was enough for him to notch up his maiden win.

Armitage’s current success, however, was built on a foundation of significant personal hardship.

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Marcus Armitage’s Journey of Setbacks and Resilience

Not too long before winning the Kingspan Concra Wood Open on the PGA EuroPro Tour in 2013, the then 26-year-old and his father would sleep in a tent.

He also had his struggles with mental health following the passing of his mother, Jean, back in 2001. Armitage has previously opened up during his conversation with the European Tour’s blog about how tough he found it to focus on school, and golf was the only coping mechanism.

During the same interview, he opened up about his past struggles with addiction.

“A lot of people can judge me for it, for the path that I went down, but it moulded who I am today. I went off track, eventually I got addicted to drugs, but at the end of the day, I think it was grieving later on in my career, I think golf had put the grieving off for my mum for so long and then when I stopped the golf it all of a sudden hit me and I went down a path,” he added.

There is no doubt about the fact that Armitage has come a long way since those initial setbacks. Notably, his most recent appearance came at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, where he finished T21 after recording a score of 4-under par. What is your favorite performance of Armitage? Share your thoughts in the comments below.