Mark Allen thinks Rory McIlroy is the finest sportsperson to come out of Northern Ireland after the golf star captured the Masters title in Augusta on Sunday.
Allen cheered on from afar as his countryman went in pursuit of the major championship that had eluded him during an otherwise glittering career.
After more than a decade of pain in the majors where he has suffered one near miss after another, McIlroy finally sealed his fifth such title – confirming his legendary status in the process.
By donning the famous Green Jacket for the first time, McIlroy becomes only the sixth player to capture the career grand slam on the men’s golf circuit.
The world number two held a two-shot lead heading into the fourth and final round of golf’s most prestigious event.
With McIlroy, it was never likely to be straightforward, and he let in a charging Justin Rose before eventually pipping the Englishman in a playoff.
Now Allen believes that the player from County Down should go down as the best sportsperson from Northern Ireland.
“Tears in my eyes here,” Mark Allen wrote on social media platform X after watching a dramatic finale.
“What have you done to me, Rory McIlroy? That was the hardest day’s viewing ever.”
“But all worth it in the end to see you achieve your dreams.
“Northern Ireland’s best ever sportsperson, and I don’t say that lightly ’cause we’ve got a few!! Well done.”
Northern Ireland has produced plenty of star sportspeople, including several in the world of snooker.
Alex Higgins was a trailblazer for the cue sport, winning the world title in 1972 and 1982, with Dennis Taylor also famously winning the 1985 final.
On the 40th anniversary of that iconic title-deciding affair that finished on the last black, Allen will be hoping to emulate Higgins and Taylor by emerging victoriously in Sheffield.
Like McIlroy, the Pistol has long been chasing his sport’s most prestigious prize.
Many believe that Allen has underachieved at the Crucible Theatre with just two semi-final appearances in over 15 years of trying.
Allen, who began this season as the world number one but has since dropped down to eighth, will be hoping to take inspiration from McIlroy when he begins his latest bid in under a week’s time.
This season’s Riyadh Season Snooker Championship winner will play his opening-round fixture on Sunday and Monday.
The 39 year-old awaits the conclusion of the ongoing qualifying competition to determine his opponent in the last 32.
The penultimate round of the preliminaries will reach its climax today before the final round known as Judgement Day takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Sunday, Zhao Xintong was among the players who managed to secure their Judgement Day spots at the English Institute of Sport.
Participating as an amateur as he continues his comeback from a ban, the former UK champion contributed a hat-trick of century breaks in a 10-4 defeat of Lyu Haotian.
Jackson Page, meanwhile, reached the halfway point of his third-round tie with Allan Taylor in style by compiling a magnificent 147 break.
The young Welshman leads Taylor 8-1 and would pocket a £147,000 bonus if he were to repeat the maximum break during the remainder of the tournament.
The draw for the first round of the 2025 World Snooker Championship will be conducted on Thursday.
Featured photo credit: WST / Masters Golf
