McDowell added that he wasn’t remotely stunned by McIlroy’s vastly emotional response to his play-off overcome Justin Rose as he sank to his knees and cried tears of pleasure after holing the successful putt.
“Yesterday was a microcosm of every thing he is gone by at Augusta through the years. I bear in mind in 2011 when he had that four-shot lead going into the final spherical.
“Simply to see the outpouring of emotion from him after he beat Justin Rose within the play-off. The whole lot he has gone by over the past 14 or 15 years simply got here pouring out of him.”
The previous US Open champion, who now performs on the LIV tour, recalled his St Andrews encounter with McIlroy because the then 18-year-old ready to tee up in what was solely his second skilled event after becoming a member of the paid ranks a month earlier.
“We performed at a apply spherical at St Andrews. I shot a 68 and misplaced the cash and it was like, ‘who is that this child simply out of college?’. From a really early age, we knew he was particular.”
Three years later, McDowell felt the necessity to take McIlroy underneath his wing throughout his Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor amid earlier feedback from the then teenager casting doubt on the aggressive aspect of the biennial staff occasion.
“He was taking a whole lot of warmth for his ‘the Ryder Cup is simply an exhibition’ remark however we instinctively knew we needed to defend him as a result of he was the particular one.
“We needed to take care of him and it was a whole lot of enjoyable to be by his facet at a few Ryder Cups and watch him blossom into the participant he’s at present.”
