Golf:US Open champion Rory McIlroy is confident he will cope with the extra attention on him after his major winning breakthrough at the Congressional in Washington last Sunday.
The 22-year-old confirmed his status as golf’s most promising talent as he broke records all round him en-route to an eight-stroke victory.
The emphatic nature of his victory has drawn parallels with Tiger Woods, but with the spotlight set to intensify on the Holywood golfer, especially with the British Open less than a month away, he is confident of handling the extra pressure.
“With success comes expectation. I know expectations on me are pretty high now, but I expect big things of myself anyway,” said McIlroy, who returned to his home club Holywood with the famous trophy today.
“As long as I keep committed and dedicated, I don’t see any reason why I won’t handle it (extra pressure) well.”
Speaking at his home club, McIlroy described his performance at Congressional as the best he has ever played.
“Last week was fabulous. The golf I played - I’ve never played before in my Life. I always wanted to believe that I could win a Major, but until you do, you never know. It feels great.”
McIlroy’s victory ensured Northern Ireland remained home to the US Open champion after Graeme McDowell’s success at Pebble Beach last year.
McIlroy admitted it was a fact he and his countryman were proud of, adding: “To think a European hadn’t won it for 40 years until Graeme did and now the two of us went back-to-back - it’s great.
“To grow up in tough (weather) conditions here, which there is at a US Open, helped us I think. But I don’t think you can explain back-to-back US Open winners from a country with a population of 1.5 million.”
