Young Mr McIlroy and “the human capacity to get over a bad experience”
There’s a lot of things to be said about Rory McIlroy’s golfing career, most of it better left said by him on the golf course than by some gobs**** on the internet… One might be that Portrush has a better chance than its had in sixty years to host one of golf’s majors..
But the Guardian has what is for me one of the most important lessons the rest of us can draw from his immediate story:
Mr McIlroy’s brilliant victory last night was achieved in precisely the same swashbuckling way that he always plays. It is also a vindication of the human capacity to get over a bad experience, a textbook endorsement of the claim that the best thing to do after a fall is get back on a horse, and dreadful news for trauma counsellors and sports psychologists everywhere.
I think you need to experience defeat to truly savour success. For me, Muhammad Ali was the template. Coming back to become the first boxer to regain The World Heavyweight Champion three times. Pure self belief mixed with brilliance.
Championship i should have said
‘ It is also a vindication of the human capacity to get over a bad experience, a textbook endorsement of the claim that the best thing to do after a fall is get back on a horse, ‘
I think there are plenty of clues as to the strength of McIlroy’s resilience in that 12 year old clip (available on UTV) of him chipping golf balls into a washing machine on the Kelly show. In front of a live studio audience and TV cameras he misses his first 3 attempts and without the slightest flicker of stress or emotion calmly sinks the fourth attempt.
As Vince Lombardi said: “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
Jude Collins disgraces himself again.
http://judecollinsjournalist.blogspot.com/2011/06/rorys-win-its-real-meaning.html?showComment=1308580365854#c5015338845191495740
Does it matter what the bad experience was? To paraphrase an old song the ability to: ‘pick oneself up, dust oneself down and start all over again’, without counselling or calling oneself a victim, is now at best old fashioned and at worst actually disliked, but its also something many of us have to do and some more than once.
Its about a deep and very personal strength. Rory showed strength of character and that is quite a rare character trait in itself.
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Well done Rory!
It really brings home how big acheivement it is winning the Open after the downer of not winning the Master !
So proud to be from this wee Country at times like this!!
Great win by Rory Mc. Robbo did exactly the same thing over a longer timespan. Wonder if Rory has been watching the fortunes of our First Minister?