Rory McIlroy quotes: golf God gives his two cents on money, motivation, being a role model, family life, and more.
“With success comes expectation and I know the expectation on me is going to be pretty high.”
“Your success only makes you more motivated to do better.”
“I kept telling myself this word, process. Focus on my process, don’t care about the result.”
“In a serious sense, wanting to change something from the past doesn’t work for me – change something you don’t enjoy now rather than regretting it later.”
“Every mistake that you make, you learn from it and you move on and you try to make sure that you don’t do it again.”
“There’s no excuse for quitting and it doesn’t set a good example for the kids watching me, trying to emulate the way I do things.”
“I was more worried about what other people would think rather than, you know, me. But you have got to do what is right for yourself and what you feel comfortable with.”
“I expect big things from myself but as long as I can keep the commitment and dedication and put the hard work in, I don’t see why there’s any reason not to handle it okay.”
“I’ve come across enough successful people now to know that the best in whatever walk of life, they’re the ones who just work the hardest. I realized that if I want to be the best and fulfill my potential, I’m going to have to do the same thing. And for those who are lucky enough to be born with a gift and then choose to work the hardest? I mean, that’s the combination.”
“I’m happy with the success I’ve had, and I feel like there’s been a lot that I’ve learned this year, and that’s a great thing going into the future.”
“I don’t really remember, but from about the age of five I told anyone who would listen that I was going to be the best golfer in the world.”
“Since turning professional at 18, I have traveled the world playing the game that I love and consider myself a global player. As the world #1 right now, I wish to be a positive role model and a sportsperson that people respect, and enjoy watching.”
“To be a top-class athlete, you have to train hard, you have to eat right, you have to get enough rest. I feel the way golf is going nowadays, you have to treat yourself as an athlete.”
“Fitness plays such an important role in my life, and an integral part of my golf structure, that I think I might be quite good at teaching others the benefits of sport and fitness.”
“Going to the gym is great for your body, but it’s also great for your mind.”
“You know I need that cockiness, the self-belief, arrogance, swagger, whatever you want to call it, I need that on the golf course to bring the best out of myself. So you know once I leave the golf course, you know that all gets left there.”
“I must be honest and say that I like the pizzazz. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that in this first year of being a pro I’ve enjoyed my best results when the attendances have been bigger and the interest has been greater. I feel as if I play better in front of big crowds. I just get a buzz out of it.”
“The next time I cry about golf it will only be with joy. It’s not worth crying over golf for any other reason. After all, it’s only a game.”
“I realize that every time my face is on TV or I’m playing in a tournament, that I am a role model for a lot of people and a lot of kids do look up to me. I try to do my best in that regard and put myself across as honestly and as modestly as possible, as well.”
“Leaving gold aside for the moment, I’d choose Roger Federer as a sporting role model, Muhammad Ali for a sporting and non-sporting role model, and Nelson Mandela as a true and lasting inspiration.”
“I believe that anybody with Mandela’s capacity to endure hardship and then forgive is a born leader and an example to us all.”
“The great thing about my two lives is I love them both. I’m very ambitious and nothing gets in the way of me practicing and concentrating on winning golf tournaments. But then I come home and get back to normality.”
“My mom and dad worked very hard to give me the best chance in – not just in golf – but in life. You know, I was an only child, you know, my dad worked three jobs at one stage. My mom worked night shifts in a factory.”
“I wanted to make a point of basing myself at home, being close to my family. I’ll never be able to repay mum and dad for what they did, but at least they know they’ll never have to work another day. I’ll do whatever it takes to look after them.”
“It’s incredible, ridiculous really, isn’t it? You realize you can make more money in the gold tour in one week than some people make in a lifetime.”
“Luckily, that amount of money doesn’t sort of mean much to me anymore. It will go in the bank and if I want to buy something nice, I will. I mean, like, it’s nice to think that you could win $10 million this week, but that’s not what excites me.”
“Of course, money matters to everyone even if some don’t want to admit it. If I won the Race to Dubai, I look at that prize money and think it could pay off my new house or the range I’m building. I am privileged to play golf for a living – look around St Andrews, that’s my office.”
“I’ve got to remember, I started to play golf because I love it, I really do. It’s been my life for, well, it’s been my life for my life.”
“I want to try to become the best golfer in the world.”
“I’ve been getting interviewed since I was about seven or eight years old. I’m pretty good at this talking thing, I think.”
Other millionaire golfers: Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler. Read up.
