The golfer Rory McIlroy is back, Rory is back

Golf is a game of ‘nearly’. Triumph and disaster — treat those two impostors the same.

The greatest golf shots ever struck. Ben Hogan’s one iron at Merion, Sandy Lyle’s seven iron from the fairway bunker at Augusta, Pàdraig Harrington’s fairway wood to the 17th at Royal Birkdale, Christy O Connor’s 2 iron to the 18th green at the Belfry deciding the Ryder Cup in 1989.

Up there with those must be Rory McIlroy’s second shot from the baked hard ground of St Andrews to the infamous Road Hole last weekend.

Courage in hand, disaster close about on every side, everything to play for, a peach of a strike launched high in the air with no margin for error set down gently like a butterfly on Xanax 15 feet from the pin. Seve Ballesteros would doff his visor to a shot like that.

Cameron Smith was a worthy winner. Grit and a magical short game and putter. A great addition to golf’s Valhalla. But Rory is back, baby. Rory is back. A sight for sore eyes.

The sword is lifted from the stone.

Michael Deasy, Bandon, Co Cork