Tiger Woods has innumerable admirers on the PGA Tour, players whose fandom fueled their own pursuit of golf’s most hallowed records. And Rory McIlroy certainly fits the bill.
Chatting with the media ahead of this week’s Valero Texas Open, McIlroy echoed the excitement of golf fans everywhere in expressing his desire to see Woods make an improbable comeback at the historic venue where he won five of his 15 major championships.
“I think for golf and for the Masters Tournament and for everyone, to have Tiger there would be phenomenal,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “I think it just adds to the event. Anything Tiger Woods does in the game of golf is heightened whenever he’s there. It would be awesome for him to be there.
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Like Woods, McIlroy was at Augusta for a practice round Tuesday. But his was more of a fact-finding mission; changes to the course required some on-site note-taking. The more pressing matter for Woods is, of course, seeing whether his body can withstand the rigors of walking the course for up to five days.
“The sheer will and perseverance, it’s incredible,” McIlroy said. “If he comes back from this again — he likes to prove people wrong. He likes to prove himself wrong, I think. Regardless of when he does come back, he’s a wonderful addition to the game, and the game of golf is better when he’s playing and when he’s playing well.”
