Rory McIlroy Reveals Heartbreaking Sacrifice He Made for Golf

Rory McIlroy has spent much of his life building a career that has taken him around the world.

On Wednesday, the five-time major champion acknowledged that life on the road can still come with a cost.

Speaking ahead of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, McIlroy opened up about the balancing act that now comes with being one of the biggest stars in golf and a father.

This time, the timing hit particularly close to home. Wednesday was his daughter Poppy's first day of school.

"It is Poppy's first day of school today," McIlroy told reporters. "I would have loved to have been home for that, but I am here, so it is just stuff like that, things I didn't have 10 years ago that I have these days. I am in a different spot in my life."

It was a brief admission, but one that offered a revealing glimpse at how much McIlroy's priorities have changed.

Rory McIlroy Opens Up About Balancing Golf and Fatherhood

McIlroy, 37, shares Poppy with his wife, Erica. And as his daughter has grown older, the realities of balancing a global golf schedule with family life have become increasingly important to him.

That doesn't mean McIlroy is stepping away from competition. Quite the opposite.

"I am playing five of the next six weeks, so over the course of a calendar year, I still play more than most of the top guys because I play on both tours," he said.

But McIlroy followed that explanation with the line that put his schedule into perspective.

"It is just trying to find that balance, and then trying to be home enough," he said before revealing that it was Poppy's first day of school.

That sentiment isn't entirely new for McIlroy.

Earlier this year, he revealed just how far he had gone to maximize both his preparation for the Masters and his time at home. McIlroy said he made day trips to Augusta National that allowed him to drop Poppy off at school, fly to Georgia to practice and return home in time for dinner.

Now, with another demanding stretch of his schedule beginning, McIlroy is confronting the other side of that equation.

Some days, golf wins.

McIlroy Enters BMW Championship Looking to Find His Game

McIlroy's comments come as he prepares for the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs.

The BMW Championship begins Thursday, Aug. 20, at Bellerive, where the 50-player field will compete for 30 spots in the season-ending Tour Championship. McIlroy entered the week 13th in the FedExCup standings and already assured of advancing to Atlanta.

His bigger concern is rediscovering his form.

McIlroy returned to competition at last week's FedEx St. Jude Championship following nearly a month away and finished 66th in the 68-player field at 8-over par. Afterward, he acknowledged that his game was far from where he wanted it to be heading into St. Louis.

That has changed how he is measuring success this week.

"If somehow I am able to put myself in a position to win this week, that would be amazing, but I think just seeing some progress this week from where I was last week would be a 'win' for me," McIlroy said Wednesday.

It's a different kind of perspective from a player accustomed to measuring his weeks in trophies.

And McIlroy's comments about Poppy offered another reminder that these days, his perspective extends well beyond what happens on a golf course.

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