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The book Rory McIlroy is reading to kill time between rounds at the Tour Championship is, well, a little on the heavy side

August 25, 2019
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ATLANTA — Ever wonder how players spend their time between rounds when weather upends their normal routine? The answer, at least in the case of Rory McIlroy, might surprise you. Especially given the stakes on Sunday at the Tour Championship, with the winner walking off with $15 million.

Most of the field had to finish their third rounds early Sunday morning at East Lake Golf Club after storms forced the suspension of play on Saturday afternoon. They then must wait a few hours until their afternoon tee times for the final round.

“I think I'll probably go in and have a second breakfast,” McIlroy said after polishing off a two-under 68 that left him one stroke back of Brooks Koepka. “Get a little bit of rest.”

Seems pretty standard so far. What else?

“Just rest up and probably try to occupy myself with something other than golf,” he continued. “Maybe watch a TV show or read a book or something. Just try to really get away from thinking about what's going on out there.”

McIlroy has one of the game’s best minds and in recent years has become more introspective, often reading self-help books that explore a wide-range of topics.

So what’s Rory reading now?

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.

“I've sort of been back and forth a little bit,” he said. “There was a couple of books that I got into that took me a while to finish, so sort of have dabbled in it for a while. But I thought it was a good one to actually sit down and get the whole way through.”

Of course, whether it will help him overcome the deficit he faces against Koepka in the day’s final pairing, that could be another matter.