This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
Published on June 11, 2020, world number one golfer Rory McIlroy expressed his desire for greater racial diversity in the sport, citing his childhood idol Tiger Woods as an inspiration.
McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, grew up idolizing Woods, a 15-time major champion and the first mixed-race player to achieve such success in professional golf.
“Tiger doesn’t look the same as me, has had a very different upbringing to the one that I have had, but he was my hero growing up,” McIlroy told reporters on the eve of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
McIlroy believes that the change needs to extend beyond the players on the course, involving everyone involved in the game of golf.
“It’s about everyone in the game of golf,” he said. “There’s so many people that are involved with the game, and as long as we continue to give people from different backgrounds opportunities to be in golf, that can only be a good thing.”
McIlroy’s comments come in the wake of global protests against police brutality towards black people, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.
The PGA Tour plans to honor Floyd with a moment of silence each morning during the tournament, a gesture McIlroy called “a wonderful gesture”.
