Rory McIlroy shows true colours during Memorial Tournament interaction | Golf | Sport

Rory McIlroy’s kind-hearted nature was there for all to see at the Memorial Tournament as he signed an autograph for a young fan. The Northern Irish golfing hero has enjoyed quite a relaxed campaign so far this year, having made history in April when he went back-to-back at the Masters.

On Wednesday, McIlroy was on course in Dublin, Ohio and went through his paces ahead of teeing off on Thursday alongside Justin Thomas. Dozens of fans attended to watch McIlroy and held up yellow signs in support. One young patron, with another printed out sign that read, “My name is Rory too,” caught the 37-year-old’s attention.

After being handed a marker, McIlroy went over and immediately autographed the child’s sign. He then took the time to give autographs to a handful of other fans. Clearly, being a back-to-back Masters winner and completing a career Grand Slam does not mean McIlroy doesn’t have time for those who support him.

The Memorial Tournament is an elusive event for McIlroy. In 13 visits to Muirfield, he has only cracked the top 10 five times. His best finish was in 2016 when he ended T4. Speaking this week, he said: “It’s a wonderful tournament. Obviously a great list of champions on a wonderful golf course. I haven’t quite figured it out yet. It’s frustrated me over my career.

“But hopefully this is the week that I put it all together. I’m excited for a good tournament here. I missed this one last year. It’s good to be back. So the course is as hard as ever, so looking forward to the challenge this week.”

When asked what competitions he would most like to win for the first time on Tour, he added: “I would say here and Tiger’s [Woods] event at Riviera, they’re the two that I would love to win.

“I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold [Palmer] was alive. So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand. Also, Jack and I share a nice history.

“We’ve known each other now for nearly 20 years, or I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. He’s been nothing but great to me and my family. So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done.”