Rory McIlroy vows golf cannot be his ‘be-all, end-all’ after the tragic death of Grayson Murray

The world No 3, who recently filed for divorce and took last week off to attend a friend’s wedding in Italy, said his break was “needed” as he tries to ensure he doesn’t make golf “the be-all, end-all for me”.

“I certainly switched off,” McIlroy said ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, where he is bidding for his third win in four starts. “I went to one of my best friend’s weddings in Italy for four days, which was a lot of fun; good to see a lot of people from home I haven’t seen in a long time.

“It was actually a really good trip, I needed it. Then I had a lovely … I had a great weekend at home. Spent time with my family and with Poppy and, yeah, it was awesome. So I needed that reset.”

McIlroy, who tied for 12th in the PGA Championship in Kentucky, admitted he was shocked to hear of Murray’s passing.

“It’s incredibly sad,” he said. “First and foremost, and I think we’re all thinking of Grayson’s family and hoping they’re doing OK and getting through this incredibly tough period.”

His comments came less than 24 hours after LPGA Tour star Lexi Thompson announced she was stepping away from the tour at the end of the year, partly because of her mental struggles.

“You know, it’s a cliché, but it puts everything in perspective,” said McIlroy, who is playing the next four weeks in a row with the US Open his big target.

“At the end of the day, you know, golf is golf, and yeah, we play it for a living, but it pales in comparison to the things that actually matter in life.

“I’ve had to realise that at times and I’m still sort of working my way through that in terms of not making golf the be-all, end-all for me.

“I think it slaps you in the face when something like that happens last week. As I said, it’s incredibly sad and everyone has to remember out here that we go out and we do things a lot of people can’t.

“But at the end of the day, we’re still human beings, and we’re vulnerable and we’re fragile, and I think if there’s a lesson for anyone out there, it’s just to be kinder to each other.”

He’s joined in Ontario by Séamus Power and Shane Lowry, who was second to him at this week’s venue, Hamilton Golf and Country Club, in 2019.

Deep rough and severe run-offs will be a challenge in Canada, while Leona Maguire, plus Stephanie Meadow and amateur Áine Donegan, will face a similar test at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania for this week’s US Women’s Open.

“I’ve had a few mixed results, obviously, but I feel like my game is close to being very good,” said Maguire, who has missed two of her last three cuts.

“The rough is pretty thick and long, as we would expect at any US Open. So there is a premium on hitting a lot of fairways this week. Out of the rough, you really have no chance.”

Meanwhile, Tom McKibbin (21) defends his European Open title in Hamburg, believing he’s a far better player than a year ago.

“The victory here last year has made me believe that I am good enough to play out here and has freed my game up a little bit,” he said. “I feel more relaxed now and I think my golf game has been in a pretty good shape over the last year.”

European Open, noon Canadian Open, 5pm (Both on Sky Sports Golf) US Women’s Open, 5pm (Sky Sports Mix)