George Willis
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MASTERS
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy could have earned a sizeable check from a Fortune 500 company by putting its logo on the front of his golf bag for the 76th Masters, which begins Thursday at Augusta National.
Instead, the reigning U.S. Open champion will use the space to feature the logo of UNICEF, the non-profit organization that provides children around the world with health care, clean water, emergency relief and more.
Golf clap, please.
“I try to help out whenever I can, and I saw this as an opportunity to give UNICEF some added exposure and hopefully increase awareness for such a great cause,” said McIlroy, who made his first UNICEF field visit to Haiti in June.
Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
SCENE OF THE CRIME: Rory McIlroy, from virtually uncharted territory, tries to get back to the 10th fairway during his final round last year. McIlroy triple-bogeyed the hole during his epic collapse.
His commitment isn’t limited to his golf bag. Already the National Ambassador from Ireland for UNICEF, McIlroy, according to sources, has made a multi-million dollar pledge to the organization, going well beyond the normal partnership between an athlete and a worthy cause.
“It’s a unique thing for someone at his age and level to be cognizant about more than himself and his money,” said Chris Weiller, who heads the sports partnerships for UNICEF.
The gesture speaks to McIlroy’s growth and maturity and why the 22-year-old has been able to bounce back from a dreadful back nine that cost him a chance to win the 2011 Masters. In addition to his immense talent, McIlroy has a healthy perspective that helps him see the world beyond his scorecard.
“It’s only golf,” he said of the four-shot lead he wasted last year. “It’s not like anyone died out there.”
Still, it was the kind of implosion that could have created long-term damage to a player’s self-esteem and confidence. His final-round 80 was highlighted by a triple-bogey at the par-4 10th, where an errant drive landed between two cabins far left of the fairway.
A massive meltdown ensued. But after a good cry while talking to his mother and an encouraging phone call from Greg Norman, who suffered his own Masters collapse, McIlroy rebounded two months later with a dominant eight-stroke victory at the U.S. Open at Congressional. It’s why he comes back to Augusta this week able to laugh about what happened on Masters Sunday last year.
“I can’t believe how close the cabins are — they’re only 50 yards off the tee,” he said jokingly. “I just had a quick glance on the way past walking down the middle of the fairway [during practice] last week, and hopefully I’ll do the same thing this week.”
The native of Northern Ireland can laugh now because he has won a major, was ranked the world’s No. 1 player for two weeks and has finished no worse than tied for fifth in his five worldwide events this year, including a win at the Honda Classic.
He insists he is a different player than he was year ago when he tried to be “too focused, too perfect” during that fateful final round.
“I feel like myself when I’m more relaxed,” McIlroy said. “I sort of have a bounce in my step and sort of a heads-up looking around at the other people. That day, I felt I was always looking at the ground. I was very insular.”
McIlroy will be paired in Thursday’s opening round with Bubba Watson and 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera, who was alongside McIlroy during the final round last year. The presence of “El Pato” shouldn’t rattle McIlroy.
“I’m coming back here a much more experienced player and feel like a much better player than the player that came here last year,” he said adding, “I’m coming in with the attitude that I want to win.”
If all goes well, McIlroy and his UNICEF golf bag will be getting plenty of coverage come Sunday. This time, he plans to finish the job.
george.willis@nypost.com
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