A charity from Northern Ireland has been singing Rory McIlroy's praises following rumours that the Holywood golf star handed over his entire Masters winnings to their cause.
McIlroy achieved the career grand slam on Sunday, edging out Justin Rose in a nail-biting play-off at Augusta National, which saw the 35 year old finally don the coveted Green Jacket. The victory pocketed the Holywood ace a cool $4,200,000 (£3.1m) in prize money.
Buzz has been building online recently with whispers suggesting McIlroy gifted the hefty sum to Mencap, a charity dedicated to supporting thousands of individuals with learning disabilities to live life on their own terms.
This isn't the first time such chatter has emerged; similar talk did the rounds after his $4.5m triumph at the Players' Championship last month, reports Belfast Live.
Yet, Mencap NI set the record straight in a statement released on Wednesday, stating the claims were "not accurate".
Jackie O'Sullivan, Executive Director Strategy at Mencap, remarked: "Rory McIlroy has been a tremendous supporter of Mencap, supporting the build of our children's centre in Belfast a few years ago."
She continued: "However, we would like to clarify that reports stating he donated winnings from a recent tournament to Mencap are not accurate."
The charity expressed its heartfelt thanks for McIlroy's ongoing support and generosity, and extended congratulations for his latest victories.
Rory McIlroy, the golfing ace, isn't just about birdies and eagles on the coursehe's also shown a big heart off the green with his support for Mencap. In a generous gesture, McIlroy previously chipped in £500,000 through his Rory Foundation to aid the building of the Mencap Centre in Belfast back in 2016.
The state-of-the-art facility officially swung open its doors in March 2016, marking a milestone that was made possible by contributions including the Big Step Forward Appeal, notably Mencap NI's most ambitious fundraising drive ever attempted.
On one of his visits back home to Northern Ireland, McIlroy took time out to drop by the centre.
Mencap Northern Ireland's director, Margaret Kelly, expressed her excitement during the visit, stating: "It was so exciting to show Rory around the Mencap Centre today and I know all of the children and families in attendance loved meeting him. The £500,000 donation from the Rory Foundation was a huge part of our success with the Big Step Forward Appeal and was vital in reaching our goal of £1.7million."
She further noted the immediate impact of the centre, saying: "Now that the Mencap Centre is up and running, it is already changing the lives of the children with a learning disability who attend our nursery and it also serves as a resource and a gathering place for young people and adults with a learning disability and their families."
Kelly emphasised the crucial role McIlroy's foundation played: "The Rory Foundation had a big hand in making this important centre a reality and we can't thank Rory and his team enough for their generosity."
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