Rory McIlroy is the golfer who juggles. Or is it Vice Versa?

At his pre-Ryder Cup news conference on Wednesday, McIlroy was asked if he had "any element of intimidation" during the final Sunday round, with Woods on Mars. & # 39; That rough East Lake was really tough, yes, & # 39; said McIlroy with a hollow smile. Because he spent so much time hitting the trees, he added, "I could not really see what was happening too much."

The answer was vintage McIlroy: even when his pride is pierced, he is willing to poke himself. That is why McIlroy is widely regarded as one of the best interviews in golf. That, and because he never settles for answers of one sentence when expansive paragraphs do. He mixes sincerity with vice, the vulnerabilities in his comment sometimes obstruct the courage of his jumpy walk.

Sometimes his openness has put him in trouble. In 2012, McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, told The Daily Mail that although he represented Ireland as a junior golfer, he was torn over who – Great Britain or Ireland – should represent at the 2016 Olympic Games, when golf would make his return. "I always felt more connected to the UK than to Ireland," he said.

McIlroy's remark drew sharp criticism in Ireland and when it was time to settle in a country, his choice to skip the Olympics was completely. In any case, the question about national loyalties has since given way to the Augusta National issue. During the recent Dell Technologies Championship, the second FedEx Cup play-off event, McIlroy conducted an investigation into his mental and physical preparation for the 2019 Masters, let alone that the first round continued for more than 200 days.

200 days, McIlroy would undoubtedly like to continue with other parts of his life, a sentiment known to Michael Phelps, a 28-time Olympic medalist who participated in a pre-Ryder Cup celebrity match and the difficulty of trying to evolve as a person when the public simply wants you to perform. "The biggest thing for me was finding that comfort in my own skin," said Phelps, "of actually looking in the mirror and finding who you see."