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'He's world class' - delight in McIlroy's home town after successive Masters wins

Mark SimpsonCommunities correspondent, BBC News NI
News imagePacemaker Press A woman with brown hair tied back is standing in a bakery holding a German biscuit with Rory McIlroy's picture on it. Behind her is shelves of baked goods.Pacemaker Press
Katherine works at a bakery in Holywood where there is a tradition of selling Rory McIlroy biscuits to celebrate his major wins

Rory McIlroy knows how to put his fans through the ringer - and Sunday at Augusta National was no different.

At his home golf club in Northern Ireland, the expressions on the faces of supporters crammed into the small clubhouse said it all.

But the mental toughness of McIlroy was what impressed fans at Holywood Golf Club the most as he sealed his second Masters title to become only the fourth man to go back-to-back in the tournament.

At one stage during the fourth and final round he was rocking, but he stabilised his performance to come away with the Green Jacket once again.

News imageLiam McBurney/PA Wire Three young men are watching the golf. To the left of the picture, a man with ginger hair and glasses has his arm behind his head. In the middle is a man with a green jacket and striped shirt has his hand clasped nervously in front of his face. To the right, a young man wearing a black quarter-zip top is sitting with his hand clasped in front of his face watching the Masters golf intently and nervously. They are sitting in front of others who are watching nervouslyLiam McBurney/PA Wire
It was a tense watch for McIlroy's fans at home

As world number one Scottie Scheffler tried but failed to catch McIlroy, a song echoed around Holywood.

"He's in your head, in your head, Rory, Rory, Rory, " sang the fans, to the tune of Zombie by the Cranberries.

Leading the chorus were teenagers who went to McIlroy's old school, Sullivan Upper.

Among those in awe of his resilience, and brilliance, was 18-year-old Oliver Keown.

"I'm amazed, I'm stunned," he said.

"When he double-bogeyed the fourth hole I was starting to get a bit nervous but he came through and still won."

Hamish Johnston, also 18, said: "I never doubted him. He's world class."

Among the dozens of other golf fans in the packed clubhouse was Leah James.

She too had total confidence in the 36-year-old Holywood golfer.

"Why would I doubt him? He's one of us," she said.

News imagePA Media A group of young people sit at the front of a large crowd in a golf club supporting Rory McIlroy. They are all wearing blue shirts and the two young men in the middle are also wearing dark green golf club blazers. Drinks sit on the table. The people are all cheering and punching the air.PA Media
But it was ultimately a story of joy as fans in Holywood golf club celebrated their hero in Augusta

Lady president of the club, Audrey Gibson, said: "Rory kept his nerve the whole way through it. He had us tenterhooks at the very end but he was absolutely sensational."

One person in the clubhouse had a conflict of interest.

Although Martin Atkinson is a huge McIlroy fan, he had a soft spot for Englishman Justin Rose, after drawing him in a prize sweepstake.

"I'm still 100% behind Rory," he said, with a smile.

News imageHamish Johnston has curly dark hair and is smiling at the camera in the bar of Holywood Golf Club. He is wearing a green polo shirt. Behind him other people can be seen watching the golf on TV.
Hamish Johnston was confident of a McIlroy victory

His friend Josh Oliver correctly predicted the outcome of the tournament.

Even when McIlroy had a comfortable lead going into the final hole, Josh said: "I still think Rory is going to make it exciting."

A sliced tee shot into the trees ensured a nervous finish, before some McIlroy magic clinched victory.

News imagePA Media Leah James is wearing a green jumper and cheering with hands raised aloft in a golf club supportive of Rory McIlroy. She is sitting beside a man who is also cheering. She has a silk scarf around her neck and is holding a mug in her left hand.PA Media
Leah James described McIlroy's win as "incredible"

Back-to-back wins at the Masters after another dramatic finale means this will be forever known as the Rory Repeat at Augusta.

However at Holywood Golf Club the members are hoping for something slightly different after this year's success.

Although McIlroy brought his winning Green Jacket home to Northern Ireland last summer, it was only seen at The Open at Royal Portrush.

There was not enough time to show it off in Holywood, which is 60 miles away, on the outskirts of Belfast.

News imagePA Media Four children smiling and holding paper notes showing support for Rory McIlroy.PA Media
Noah, Freddie, Toby and Zara made their own signs to support Rory McIlroy

The club's current captain, Kieran Diver, said he didn't expect McIlroy to return any time soon.

"He's always welcome at this club, but he has such a tight schedule. We see Rory as the best sportsman in the world, so he's going to be hard to get a hold of this year," he said.

McIlroy's second Masters triumph means more international visitors are likely to want to see where he grew up.

"Last night, we had South Africans, Americans and Germans who came to the club to watch", said Diver.

"One of them said, if you're not at Augusta, you need to be at Holywood Golf Club. I'd tend to agree with that."

"We had three to four thousand visitors after his win last year,"

"We welcome them with open arms. People just want a little piece of Rory".

News imageThree rows of German biscuits with an image of Rory McIlroy in his Green Jacket stuck to the top of each biscuit.
The German biscuits feature the champion in his Green Jacket

Just like after his win last year, Skinner's Bakery in the County Down town have biscuits and buns with McIlroy's face emblazoned on them.

The bakery has a tradition of making the biscuits every time he wins a major.

This year's treats do not feature him with the Master's trophy, but they do of course include the champion in his Green Jacket.

'An unforgettable experience'

News imageGareth Maher Two men standing outside the club house at the golf course. Both men are wearing green jumpers and sunglasses. The man on the left has brown hair and the man on the right has grey hair. In the background, you can see the white club house with grey roof and lots of trees with green leaves. There's also a flower bed of yellow flowers behind them.Gareth Maher
Gareth Maher, from Lisburn, and his dad Tom, witnessed the moment first-hand in Augusta

Gareth Maher and his dad Tom were at the green on the 18th hole and saw McIlroy's winning putt.

The Lisburn man said being at Augusta was an "unforgettable experience".

Maher described it as "an unbelievable experience that was topped off by our own Rory McIlroy winning a second green jacket".

He said that watching McIlroy "speak emotionally about his mum and dad" whilst being there with his own father was a moment Maher will never forget.

"30 odd thousand steps walked so that we could see every part of the course and a memory that we will cherish together forever," Maher added.