00:00Rory is used to having total dominion over his public image, and he knew he would have no such control
00:08over this book.
00:10And so that's unsettling for a guy in his position who calls all the shots.
00:14So we had a spicy conversation about this at the U.S. Open, but I was undeterred because, you know,
00:24I didn't really need Rory.
00:25I've had a lot of access to him throughout his career. He's had such a public life.
00:29And if you get really close to the subject of your biography, it sometimes can be hard to write it
00:35in a clear-eyed way.
00:36So that was fine. When Rory came to Pebble Beach earlier this season, I got him a couple copies of
00:42the book, and he started reading it.
00:45He told me he liked it and made him laugh. So I'm in a good place with Rory, but that's
00:49not the audience I'm writing the book for.
00:51It's for golf fans. And so on a human level, it's nice that he's enjoying it, but that wasn't my
00:56primary consideration when I was typing.
00:59Well, it's good that he liked it, though. That's a good thing for you. No, it's a great book.
01:03So you talk a lot about his career, like this existential crisis that he talks about with the game of
01:09golf.
01:10What's the concern there? What's been his concern over the past years?
01:15It's really the burden of genius. You know, Rory was a child prodigy.
01:20He was like a little Mozart, and there's been expectations that have followed him his whole life.
01:27And for all that he's accomplished, it was never quite enough.
01:30And then he was on this very long quest to kind of fulfill his destiny and finally win the Masters.
01:36And you could see the toll that it took on him.
01:39And so part of the joy of watching Rory play golf is there's still a little – he has a
01:45little childlike wonder out there on the course.
01:46Like, he's not an automaton. He's not a machine.
01:49Like, he's – you can see his heart on his sleeve.
01:55And the good shots fire him up like it does the crowd.
01:57And the bad shots, you know, kind of take away his confidence and his mojo.
02:01And that was obviously on vivid display in the final round of last year's Masters, which was an incredible roller
02:07coaster.
02:07And that's why there was such an outpouring of emotion around that victory is because people have been – have
02:13been following Rory's whole career.
02:15You know, he grew up in the public spotlight, and there's a fragility there.
02:20There's a vulnerability, which is rare in superstar athletes.
02:23And so we've suffered along with him through the years, and that's why it was so cathartic when he finally
02:29broke through and won the Masters.
02:30All right. You mentioned the Masters, so I'm going to go there, Alan.
02:33And, okay, so, yes, he does have the green jacket, okay, but he's had a great start to the tournament
02:38this year.
02:39Do you think he could take it again?
02:42Oh, yeah.
02:43When watching Rory early in the week during the practice rounds, I was convinced he was going to win because
02:49he was so jaunty.
02:50He was so carefree.
02:52And no one's ever had more fun being defending champ than Rory.
02:56He was just swanning around in the green jacket.
02:58He was presiding over all the ceremonies, and there's just a lightness of being that he's never had at this
03:04tournament.
03:05You know, he was always on a knife's edge when he showed up at Augusta.
03:08And so, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if Rory wins four more Masters at this point.
03:13He's just – he's cracked the code on how to play the golf course.
03:17He's completely unburdened now, and he can just play free, and he can just attack the golf course, which he
03:23certainly did to start this Masters.
03:25So, whether he wins or not this year, he's going to be a threat for the next decade, and it's
03:31going to be fun to see how many more Jackets he can win.
03:33So, you're saying he's just getting started?
03:36No question.
03:37I mean, it seems like Rory's been around forever because he basically – you know, he dropped out of high
03:42school when he was 15,
03:43became a de facto touring pro playing all around the world.
03:48But he's only 36, and he takes great care of himself, unlike a lot of his peers who are breaking
03:54down and having surgeries
03:55and all kinds of physical setbacks.
03:57He's been very healthy throughout his career.
04:00Like, his longevity – he's been in the top 20 in the world ranking for 850 weeks.
04:05I mean, he's just always there, and I don't see that stopping.
04:10So, yeah, I think a lot of his best golf is still in front of him.
04:12Yeah, you mentioned his peers, one of them, Tiger Woods, who was really an influential part of his golf career.
04:18Going through a tough time, talk about their relationship, though.
04:22And can Rory be that person to help Tiger kind of come out of this?
04:28Yeah, I mean, Rory, you know, he's always said Tiger was his hero, and then he became his friend and
04:33his mentor.
04:34And I think that the roles may shift here because I think Rory's one of the few people on the
04:42planet who can, you know, speak truth to power to Tiger.
04:45You know, they're equals now.
04:47There's only four men on Earth who have won the career Grand Slam.
04:50There are two of them.
04:51So, you know, Tiger has a massive amount of respect for Rory.
04:55And unlike everyone else in the ecosystem around Tiger, Rory needs nothing from him.
05:01And so I think he can just tell Tiger the hard truths.
05:06And he has a lot of love and a lot of affection for Tiger.
05:09And I would love if Rory became that person because Tiger's had a very lonely existence as a professional golfer.
05:16He doesn't have a lot of close friends.
05:18Some of the people that were in his life as friends became employees.
05:21And so that shifts the dynamic.
05:23And so it's an interesting twist in the relationship where, you know, the people may become the teacher.
05:29And Rory can guide Tiger through this very challenging time.
05:33You talk a lot about Rory's family, too, in this.
05:36Now, Alan, you knew a lot about him, you know, the back story of him.
05:39But was there anything that surprised you, you know, how he grew up or anything like that?
05:44Oh, yeah.
05:45I mean, there's revelations on, you know, every chapter of this book for me as even someone who was close
05:50to Rory.
05:51You know, when you do this kind of biography and you just embed into someone's life, you just learn so
05:56much.
05:56And it's really a feel-good story.
05:59I mean, Rory's parents sacrificed everything for him.
06:03You know, they were a very blue-collar family from this unglamorous, you know, little town outside of Belfast.
06:09You know, Rory grew up in the shadow of the Troubles.
06:12And it's just a tale as old as time, you know, parents kind of sacrificing for their children.
06:18But they're a very extreme example of it.
06:21And part of the reason that I think Rory is such a beloved figure, he's never forgotten where he came
06:26from.
06:27He's retained that humility.
06:30He does seem to have a wonder, like, wow, I can't believe this is my life.
06:33And he's not jaded.
06:35You know, he carries that gratitude with him.
06:38And his parents are a big reason why.
06:40I mean, it's a close-knit family.
06:43They move in a pack.
06:45And they keep Rory's feet on the ground.
06:47So it's, yeah, just going deep on his childhood, going to visit this little town outside Belfast, getting to know
06:54the people around him.
06:56I think it brings an intimacy to the story.
06:59And like you said, some people, you know, know the broad strokes.
07:02But to really bring it all to life in kind of a rich portrait, you know, that was really satisfying
07:08for me.
07:09All right, Alan, best of luck to you on the book.
07:11Again, it's Rory, the heartache and triumph of golf's most human superstar.
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