Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the world’s number-one ranked golfer, Rory McIlroy, said that he will donate all of the prize money he earns at the Irish Open to his charity foundation.
Should the Irish golfer win the tournament at the iconic Royal County Down golf course, he would pump $638,000 into the Rory Foundation.
The European tour and McIlroy’s foundation kick off a new partnership to infuse new energy into the Irish Open and help endow the Rory Foundation, dedicated to fighting cancer.
McIlroy, although missing the cut last week at the BMW in Wentworth, is off to a great start this season having won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play, a third consecutive top-10 finish in the Players Championship, and a seven-shot win at Quail Hollow at the Wells Fargo.
CBS sports reported that the 25-year-old golf sensation feels invigorated by his new relationship with the tournament. He admitted that in the past the Irish Open has not brought out his best. McIlroy missed the cuts the last two years.
“The Irish Open for me for the last few years was becoming a bit of a…. I don’t want to say a pain, but it didn’t quite fit in the schedule or I just wasn’t enjoying it as much as I could,” McIlroy confessed.
Honestly, what I want to get out of it this year is just to raise a lot of money for the foundation for the cancer fund, and ultimately if I play well, and if I do well in the tournament, then all the money that I earn is going to go towards that as well.
So I’m not really playing for myself this week. I’m playing for a lot of other people and it gives me an incentive to go out there and enjoy it and try to play well.
McElroy’s involvement with the tournament is a blessing for the Irish open. Aside from bringing money into the Rory Foundation, it will attract bigger stars to the tournament.
According to Golf.com, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia will be teeing it up along with major champions Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els.