'The roof nearly came off': Celebrations as Rory McIlroy's home club says grand slam win is among greatest moments in Northern Ireland sporting history

Speaking the morning after the 35-year-old won a sudden death play-off to lift the Masters trophy at Augusta on Sunday (13th), Holywood Golf Club president Tony Denvir told the News Letter “the roof nearly came off” the clubhouse as it stayed open into the wee hours to watch Rory hit a career high.

Seeing their favourite son become now and forever one of the giants of golf, the town of Holywood has been buzzing with shared joy – and the club where he learned his trade says membership applications skyrocketed in the hours since his victory.

This morning (14th) saw townspeople delighted by the champ’s success, if a little tired from staying up until around 1am to watch it, with a bakery that sells Rory-themed biscuits doing a roaring trade.

McIlroy’s victorious putt was a win years in the making, finishing a rollercoaster round with a scream of joy mirrored in living rooms across the province as his legion of fans got to see him take his place forever among the immortals – becoming just the sixth man to win all four of golf’s major tournaments in the 90 years they’ve existed.

The Augusta showdown was a suspense-filled thriller, with a few early stumbles having fans fearing they were in for a repeat of previous disappointments.

Over five hours, he performed some of the greatest shots of his career as well as some definite stumbles that left supporters convinced he’d blown it. Starting poorly, he rallied only to hit another slump, before winding up in a play-off against Englishman Justin Rose.

Taking it right down to the wire, Rory won with a birdie in sudden death, a result that felt like it came straight out of a thrilling Hollywood sports movie.

Back in Holywood – Co Down, not California – his home club was blown away by the once in a lifetime victory.

Club manager Tom Widley said they’re expecting a busy summer as fans arriving for the Open in Portrush make a pilgrimage to see where the grand slam champ earned his stripes.

“We’ve had an influx of membership this morning,” he told the News Letter. “A legacy of Rory’s previous wins is that we have the biggest junior section in the island of Ireland; that’ll grow.

“This summer, we’ll have a lot of tourist interest. It’s created a feelgood factor, everyone in the club is cheering.”

The club will now have to make more space in its exhibition dedicated to Rory and his wins, with president Tony Denvir hoping they might even get a replica of the green jacket – and he believes the winning grand slam putt will never be surpassed in the annals of Northern Irish sport as a whole.

“Certainly it’s right up there with the likes of Gerry Armstrong or Barry McGuigan, the big moments,” he said.

But the victory won’t change Rory, he said, describing the champ as “a normal, down to earth guy – a Holywood lad”.

Said the club president: “When he’s here, you can have a chat with him; he’s a global superstar, but he’s very approachable.

“He would stop and have a chat with anybody and everybody, but especially the juniors. He always has time for them – it must be huge for those kids.”

The club stayed open until after 1am so its members could watch Rory, enduring a five-hour emotional rollercoaster of unbearable tension before erupting in unbridled joy.

With Rory’s fortunes rising and falling over and over again over the course of the nail-biting round, with Mr Denvir admitting they thought he’d lost his chance when he hit a bunker on the 18th hole.

“But then in the play-off, he sank that final putt and this place just erupted; I mean, the roof nearly came off, it was incredible,” he said.

“We’ve experienced that before with his previous majors, but nothing like Sunday night. It’s hard to put into words.”

But the crowd couldn’t break out the champagne; due to licensing laws, the bar had to stop selling drinks more than two hours before Rory’s victory – though the lack of fizz couldn’t dampen spirits in the golf club.

Patricia Kelleher, lady captain, had been in a golf club in the Republic earlier on Sunday, and says even there McIlroy’s upcoming challenge was all anyone could talk about.

“It’s like a trans-Ireland movement,” she states. “I was watching from home and I couldn’t sit still to watch it, I was so nervous, and yet I was there for the five hours it took.”

She added that watching Rory put on the green jacket of a grand slam winner made her feel that it was “justice at last”.

She said: “He’s such a superb golfer, but he shows the human side as well; the amalgam of both aspects mean you have a superstar. He’s unique.

"I’m a retired teacher, and as that I couldn’t help but be aware of the impact he had on the youngsters and the way his dream was shared with them – it’s like spilling stardust on them, they’re all trying to be little Rorys.”