Micah Richards is officially a golf fan and it’s all thanks to Rory McIlroy.
Richards, who never played golf in his spare time as a player, was glued to his television to watch McIlroy pull off his remarkable victory at the Masters last Sunday.
But just one day prior, Gary Lineker revealed Richards wanted nothing to do with the action at Augusta.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker claimed Richards gave him and Alan Shearer ‘so much stick’ while the duo tuned in to follow the Masters.
However, with McIlroy in the lead following the third round, Richards decided he would give the golf a chance.
One spell-binding final round and a play-off later, Richards was ‘definitely converted’.
“So I watch for ten minutes, I’ll give it half-an-hour,” Richards, who won the Premier League with Man City in 2012, said.
“I watch it for half-an-hour, ‘Oh my god, I can feel the emotions, the ups, the downs, the around and around.’ The commentators, absolutely outstanding.
“I don’t know much about golf, but that shot … high and up over the trees. And then the bendy one around the trees? Oh my god!
“And then I think, ‘OK, I’ve got something to do the next day. Alright, he’s going to put the putt away to secure it, we can all celebrate and go to bed.’
“And then it goes to a play-off. I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’ve waited this long, I’ve got to wait a little bit more.’
“I can tell you now, I’m not going to play it, but I am a golf fan.
GettyMcIlroy had the sporting world gripped as he finally ended his wait for a Masters title[/caption]
“And Rory McIlroy, what a legend you are.”
With Richards now a golf convert, he is among several who are eager to see when McIlroy will return to the fairways following his triumph in Augusta that ended his lengthy wait for a green jacket.
Unfortunately for those who hoped he would make an instant return at the RBC Heritage event in South Carolina, they were left disappointed as McIlroy opted to skip it.
However, that isn’t exactly a break from tradition given McIlroy has typically passed up the event many times before, although he did compete at Harbour Town last year.
He finished tied for 33rd, 12 shots back of eventual winner Scottie Scheffler.
Instead, McIlroy will make his return on April 24 at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
He and Shane Lowry will look to defend their titles at TPC Louisiana having claimed the crown last year with a playoff victory over Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer.
After the event in New Orleans, McIlroy will compete at the Truist Championship on May 7 before he looks to win a third PGA Championship on May 15.
