Video: Rory Turns Off Phone, Gives Away Laptop, Holes Shot

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Formerly engaged Rory McIlroy revealed after an opening 68 at Wentworth that he's turned off his cell phone and given away his laptop, reports James Corrigan.

McIlroy revealed that he has taken what other youngsters may consider radical steps to stay in a bubble. “I haven’t put my phone on for two days and have given away my laptop,” he said. “It’s sort of like living in the Sixties and Seventies.

"It’s part of life, it’s s----y, but it is the way it is. I made a commitment to be here. It’s the European Tour’s flagship event. I’m very proud to be part of the European Tour. The European Tour have been very good to me over the last number of years.”

Ewan Murray offered this reflection on McIlroy's shocking about face on his engagement to longtime girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki.

Albeit it contradicts the fact McIlroy is single-minded, there has always been a theory that he felt almost obliged to settle down due to the advice of elder statesman. The legendary Gary Player, for example, previously insisted that McIlroy has “got to find himself a wife that’ll help him, actually almost dedicate her life to him being a success”. Such old-fashioned logic is not in touch with modern reality for a global star such as McIlroy who has always displayed a tendency to live life to the full.

Because we're still apparently living in the 20th century, footage of McIlroy's retro high-spin approach shot is not available through, say, the European Tour's YouTube account.

However, GolfCentralDaily thankfully put the shot up:

Rory Still Really Sorry About Having A "Mistake" Toothache

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Rory McIlroy's entered the Honda Classic, as have several other big names, but in announcing his attention to play, McIlroy keeps apologizing for WD'ing with a dental issue. Yet never mentions how his wisdom tooth thingy turned out.

Brian Keogh reports on today's announcement and quotes from Rory:

Rory McIlroy admits he has "unfinished business" and "should have adopted a more mature approach" rather than walking off as he played his 27th hole in last year's Honda Classic.

In a statement issued through his management company at the time, he later said that a wisdom tooth problem had led to his sensational decision to high tail it out of the event.

He apologised at the following week's WGC-Cadillac Championship, explaining: "I realised pretty quickly that it wasn't the right thing to do. No matter how bad I was playing, I should have stayed out there.  I should have tried to shoot the best score possible even though it probably wasn't going to be good enough to make the cut.

"At that point in time, I was just all over the place, and you know, I saw red, as I said, and you know, it was a mistake and everyone makes mistakes and I'm learning from them.  I guess for me, some people have the‑‑ I guess the pleasure of making mistakes in private.  Most of my mistakes are in the public eye. So it is what it is, and I regret what I did.  But, you know, it's over now and it won't happen again."

Translation: the tooth was pulled!