The statement he posted that night sounded scripted at the time. It was closer to raw truth with that shiny U.S. Open trophy at his side: “This is one of those things that happen in life, one of those moments where how we respond to a setback defines us as people.”
He even watched the final round of the Memorial on TV.
“He’s won two tournaments in a row. I don’t care what anyone says. He had that title,” Rory McIlroy said.
Rahm never looked at it that way. He has lived with the risk of COVID-19 for more than a year, and lost a friend, Jose Manual Cortizas, a sports reporter from Bilbao, Spain, who fell in love with golf while covering Rahm.
“This is the power of positive thinking,” Rahm said. “I was never resentful for one second for what happened. And I don’t blame anybody. It’s been a difficult year, and unfortunately COVID is a reality in this world, and it’s affected a lot of people.”
McIlroy was among several contenders who lost their way on the back nine Sunday, and one of four players who made double bogeys that cleared the stage for Rahm and Oosthuizen.
McIlroy was quick to point out that someone would have to be in a good place mentally to bounce back from such a setback.
“But he obviously knew his game was there,” McIlroy said. “And he just had to go out and play the way he knows he can.”
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