NBC has given Yanni's iconic "In Celebration of Man" an Irish flair for this week's British Open, but the tournament's true theme song is Diddy's "I'm Coming Home." In case you haven't heard, the Open is in Northern Ireland, and that's where Rory McIlroy is from.
All kidding aside, it's a cool subplot to one of the biggest weeks on the golfing calendar. McIlroy grew up about an hour away from Royal Portrush and even—stop me if you've heard this before—set the famed links' course record with a 61 as a 16-year-old. Now 29, he returns as a four-time major champ and the odds-on favorite to hoist the claret jug on Sunday.
And by the looks of the shirt Rory wore on Tuesday, he's embracing the moment.
What's that logo on his Nike polo? Is that . . .
A washing machine?
You bet it is.
No, Rory doesn't have a new nickname, although, Washing Machine McIlroy has a nice ring to it. Rather, the home appliance is a nod to his upbringing. You see, McIlroy used to work on his short game as a young lad by chipping golf balls into his parents' washing machine in Northern Ireland. And he once went on TV and did the same thing as a young prodigy:
Totes adorbs, right?
In 2011, the European Tour produced a video in which Rory took on a robot and hit full shots into a washing machine. And now, with this shirt things have come, um, full circle.
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