Let us jump back into the year 2020. Rory McIlroy had come back to defend his title of champion at the Stadium Course in TPC Sawgrass. However, misfortune struck in the form of COVID soon after the first round, leading to the event and many future events being canceled. But even so, the fans were not left completely disappointed, all thanks to the Northern Irishman’s notorious story of his debut at THE PLAYERS.

He played the event for the first time at the age of 20 in 2009. Regrettably, the young McIlroy failed to make an impact on the tournament as he registered scores of 74-77 over the first two rounds, all the while missing the cut. Interestingly, the story did not end there for the athlete, who was visiting Florida. 11 years later, at the 2020 PLAYERS Championship, he divulged the tale of his infamous side; his loss ended up with him being kicked out of several bars!

Four years ago, at the PLAYERS’ press conference, the then-30-year-old McIlroy recalled how he used a fake identity to enter bars on Jacksonville Beach. “I missed the cut and ended up getting kicked out of bars in Jax Beach for having a fake ID. So, ahem, I’ve come a long way,” stated the golfer as he subtly referred to the 2019 win at the iconic tournament.

The athlete had, interestingly, scored a total of six birdies, eight bogeys, and two double bogeys during his stint at the 2009 edition of the event. However, not even McIlroy would have guessed the success that would soon follow the golfer. A year after this infamous incident, the Northern Irishman managed to bag his first victory on the PGA Tour at the Quail Hollow Championship.

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He has come a long way, that’s for sure. The athlete who couldn’t make the weekend cut owing to the dismal numbers went ahead to become a veteran of the sport. Anyway, the rest is history, as he managed to win 23 more times on the men’s circuit, including four major titles. But even so, the win at the 2019 PLAYERS Championship does hold a bit more sweetness owing to the notorious tale.

Rory McIlroy bagged his first PLAYERS Championship title

The 4-time major champ went ahead and registered scores of 67-65-70-70 over the four days of play to total a 16-under 272. During the course of the tournament, he hit a total of 21 birdies, six of which came on the final day of play, propelling himself past the likes of Jim Furyk and Eddie Pepperell, the former of whom finished T2.

What’s more, his victory also included five bogeys, one double bogey, and one eagle, the last of which came at the 16th hole in the second round. The victory earned him a cut of $2.25 million along with 600 FedEx Cup points. Well, regardless of the infamous story following his first appearance, he managed to overcome his limitations to come out on top a decade later. Truly inspiring, if not anything else.

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