“Sometimes life on tour can get a little bit lonely” – When a young Rory McIlroy opened up about needing ‘friends’ and not ‘enemies’ on Tour

Rory McIlroy is now one of the most popular golfers on tour and one of the best of his generation. That wasn't always the case, especially in 2012. McIlroy first turned pro in 2007 and had just won his second Major tournament in 2012. That was when he spoke on the need for friends in this sport.

Golf naturally doesn't have teammates except on LIV Golf or in rare tournaments. Every player is on their own except for their caddie and they're competing against every single other player.

That is something that taught McIlroy the importance of having friends in the sport. On November 9, 2012, he said in the above interview with CNN (4:41-5:12):

"For me you're on tour long enough and you don't need enemies right there. You want to have friends. Sometimes life on tour can get a little bit lonely at times and you want to have guys that you can go for dinner with and you'll have a laugh with in the locker room."

The season is long, as McIlroy noted it at 25 weeks out of the year:

"You might as well make it fun. So I mean if that's what worked for Faldo then and great, it obviously worked for him really well. But I don't think that would be something that would work for me."

It is one of the few sports that doesn't have built-in friendships with teams. NBA players have 11 teammates they can be friends with. MLB players have 26 and NFL players get 52 other possible friends. Golf can be rather solitary, hence the need for friends as McIlroy put it.

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Rory McIlroy set a record in 2012

Rory McIlroy is currently the world number three golfer, so he is clearly one of the most talented players in the world right now. In 2012, he was in rare form, winning the PGA Championship for his second career Major and set a record in doing so.

Rory McIlroy in 2012

He had previously won the U.S. Open by an impressive eight strokes, a margin of victory not seen in the PGA ever. The Northern Irishman birdied the 18th hole to reach an eight-stroke victory, breaking Jack Nicklaus' record.

Via ESPN, he said:

"I think I heard Tiger say, 'You can have a good season, but to make a good season a great season, you need a major championship.' Now I've had two great seasons in a row no matter what happens from here in now. Hopefully, I can play some great golf from now until the end of the year and get myself ready for another great season next year, too."

Rory McIlroy would go on to add two more Majors in the next two years, but has been unable to capture the fifth in the decade since.