Holywood’s golfing golden boy Rory McIlroy has won The Open Championship, aged 25. We at Webrecruit Ireland are hugely proud of Rory as our Belfast office is situated on the Holywood Road which is just down the road from his club! Undoubtedly, many of the viewers were laughing all the way to the bookies and it has been reported that McIlroy’s own father, Gerry, plus a few friends put £100 on Rory to win the open before he was 26 at 500-1 odds….. when he was 15! More than the monetary aspect of things, this showed huge belief in his son’s talents and abilities. In a typical Irish fashion of being a “mummy’s boy”, he sweetly dedicated his Open win to his mother as it was the first time she witnessed him winning a Major.

As well as McIlroy, two fellow Irishmen faired well in the Championship. The North Coast’s Graeme McDowell placed joint ninth in the Open along with 27 year old Irishman Shane Lowry. The huge talent shown by Irish golfers over the past number of years has been tremendous and it looks set to continue as McIlroy is determined to continue to win more big titles. Other great Irish players such as Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and new girl on the block Stephanie Meadow (who recently made her professional debut at the US Women’s Open) are all set to compete for more titles in the coming year.

McIlroy is an interesting case in regards to his training. Unlike many other big players in the world of sport, McIlroy has stuck by his childhood training team from Holywood. Initially coached by his golf enthusiast father, Rory went on to be coached by Michael Bannon, aged 8. Bannon previously worked at local golf clubs in Bangor and Holywood (He even coached our boss Richard at one point…!) but left his roles to be the full time swing coach to McIlroy in 2012. The commitment by McIlroy to support his long-time coach and not be swayed by international coaches has been astonishing to many in the industry. People such as Andy Murray have left their childhood coaches in the hope they will become international stars. The relationship and sheer dedication of the Bannon/McIlroy partnership has clearly paid off with McIlroy winning 3 Majors at 25, putting him in the same category as iconic American players Tiger Woods and Jack Nickalus. McIlroy’s swing was made by local talent and we are proud of it!

If you want to fill your business with talented local people, Webrecruit can help you to find the superstars of the future. For more information on all of our services, check out our website www.webrecruit.co