Young Rory McIlroy gushes about Tony Finau’s family in adorable video

By Jake Nisse

21:44 15 Jun 2024, updated 22:18 15 Jun 2024

• Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau became childhood friends more than 20 years ago 
• Now, they’re playing together at Pinehurst during the US Open third round 

An adorable video of a young Rory McIlroy speaking about his friendship with Tony Finau has surfaced after the golf stars were grouped together on Saturday in the US Open.

McIlroy, 35, and Finau, 34, are now established pros, but the Northern Irishman once stayed at the Utah native’s house as a kid during a summer trip to the USA.

‘They’re a really fun family,’ a fresh-faced McIlroy can be seen saying in an old clip from PGA of America, when both golfers were competing at the 2004 Junior Ryder Cup.

‘And I had a really good experience with them.’

With the pair playing together at Pinehurst, the clip went viral as it was posted by Rory McIlroy Tracker, receiving over 110,000 views at the time of writing.

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In the video, Finau also spoke about his sweet friendship with McIlroy.

‘I couldn’t wait to see him, and when I saw him at the hotel I was hugging him,’ he said. And we were having a good time.’

McIlroy added in the old video that it was ‘special’ to see his old friend, who he hadn’t been able to see in two or three years. 

At the time of writing, the old friends are near the top of the pack through five holes of the third round, with Finau tied for second with five-under-par and McIlroy not far behind at four-under.

McIlroy, who called off his divorce from Erica Stoll earlier this week, was still seen without his wedding ring earlier this week as he played in North Carolina.

McIlroy dramatically scrapped plans to split from Stoll – his wife of the last seven years – after realizing their best future with three-year-old daughter Poppy in the equation is ‘as a family together’. 

He addressed the speculation surrounding his relationship status in a statement to The Guardian on Tuesday, saying: ‘There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game.

‘Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.’