Rory McIlroy recalls Rafael Nadal and Michal Jordan's incredible gesture after heartbreaking major near-miss
The world number three hasn't won a major in over a decade despite consistently being one of the world's top players during that period
Rory McIlroy has told how Rafael Nadal and Michal Jordan reached out to him following his US Open heartbreak in June.
The world number three hasn't won a major in over a decade despite consistently being one of the world's top players during that period.
He nearly ended this drought at the US Open in June, but three bogeys in his last five holes - including a costly miss on the 18th - saw him lose a two-stroke lead and hand the title to Bryson DeChambeau.
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When asked which of his famous friends had offered words of encouragement following the disappointment, McIlroy named basketball icon Michael Jordan and Nadal, who retired from tennis last week.
McIlroy recounted: "MJ was maybe the first person to text me after I missed the putt on the 18th hole. But both of them got in touch very, very quickly."
Back in 2011, a younger Nadal expressed his support for McIlroy, who was then vying for his first major title. After McIlroy's triumph at the Congressional Country Club in Maryland, Nadal was full of praise for him.
"Rory is an inspiration, I admire him a lot," the Spaniard said. "I love watching Rory. What he's doing is really something unbelievable. I met him in New York last year.
"I love golf and follow the tour almost every week. He has probably one of the nicest swings in the world, if not the nicest. Always, I will be supporting him in the final round because I think he deserves the title. He deserves to win a major because, in my opinion, right now he's playing at a different level than the rest."
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