Rory McIlroy Mural destroyed in Belfast Northern Ireland

Rory McIlroy has been widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time for several years now and after finally winning The Masters in April, he instantly shot up the ranks as a true legend of the sport after completing the career grand slam, defeating Justin Rose in an unforgettable Masters playoff.

But his journey into golf immortality began when he pulled off a dominant victory at the US Open at Congressional in 2011 at just 21 years old. This was the Rory we still knew with the baby face and poofy hair sticking out of his hat.

A year after that iconic win, the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland commissioned a mural of the future Grand Slam winner in 2012. The mural showed Rory following through with his swing. However, 13 years later, the piece of art is sadly deteriorating.

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak was in Northern Ireland for this year’s Open Championship and took this photo of the fading mural, reminding us how long removed we are from the days of McIlroy being golf’s next big phenom.

The inevitable Scottie Scheffler ended up winning The Open at Portrush for his fourth major championship and leaving him with just a US Open win to complete the Career Grand Slam. Rory put on a show overall and did his best, but ultimately finished T7 at -10, seven shots behind Scottie. Harris English, Chris Gotterup, and Li Haotong finished second, third, and fourth, respectively.

And with his win, perhaps Scottie might get a mural as well, even though he isn’t from Ireland. In the meantime, maybe they can “remaster” Rory’s mural like they do with video games. Polish it up and make it new and spiffy for all to see. Or, they can make a new mural showcasing Rory’s achievement of getting the Career Grand Slam. That would be dope.