Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have a convoluted relationship that dates back to when the Northern Irishman was a fresh-faced kid on the PGA Tour circuit.
The 36-year-old will take part in the Genesis Invitational this week, a tournament organised by Woods' TGR Foundation, and it is rumoured that the American will be on hand to present the trophy, Express UK reported.
By the time McIlroy had turned professional, Woods already had 13 major championship wins - including the career Grand Slam. The 36-year-old had won the US Open by the time he challenged for another major in 2012.
After securing the PGA Championship that year, McIlroy admitted he grew up idolising the American golfer and had aspirations to challenge the icon. He even joked that Woods was 'intimidated' by him. McIlroy said, "He's (Tiger's) got a new nickname for me, actually. He calls me The Intimidator."
He then clarified the nickname was not his doing by adding, "No. How can I intimidate Tiger Woods? I mean, the guy's got 75 or whatever PGA Tour wins, 14 majors. He's been the biggest thing ever in our sport. How could some little 23-year-old from Northern Ireland with a few wins come up and intimidate him. It's just not possible. I don't know where he got that from, but it's not true."
It looks like the Woods-McIlroy rivalry blossomed into a beautiful friendship that came with healthy competition. Following the Northern Irishman's 2024 US Open loss, the 50-year-old revealed he reached out to the golfer to offer his support.
