MONTEREY, CA. -- It was a bold move for sure, but Rory McIlroy did it anyways.
With a trip to California on the horizon, the four-time major champion donned a Kyle Lowry Raptors jersey last Sunday and proclaimed the NBA Finals would end with a Toronto win in Game 5.
Following his win at the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy packed the Lowry jersey and flew to the West Coast, where he'll look to break his major championship drought with a win at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
While he's in California, though, the Lowry jersey won't be coming out.
"No. No, sir. Neutral," McIlroy said with a chuckle Wednesday when asked if he' d be breaking out the jersey.
"It would be nice," McIlroy said referring to a Raptors win. "I'm all for dominance in sports, and I think it's a cool thing. But it would be -- I followed the whole Finals -- or the whole playoffs, and I guess it would be cool for -- the atmosphere up there last week was unbelievable. I felt like the whole country was behind that team.
"But, no, I'll be obviously an interested onlooker this week. And it's a nice distraction from what we're doing. But that Raptors jersey this week is probably staying in the suitcase."
Probably for the best, Rory.
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While McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka and the rest of golf's elite will tee it up on Monterey Peninsula beginning Thursday, the Warriors and Raptors will renew their battle that night with Game 6 at Oracle Arena.
With the Raptors leading the series three-games-to-two and Kevin Durant suffering a ruptured Achilles in Game 5, the two-time defending NBA champions' backs are against the wall.
But as the Dubs showed with their gutty Game 5 win at Scotiabank Arena, you can never underestimate the heart of a champion.
McIlroy, for his part, hopes to re-discover his own championship heart at Pebble Beach to win his first major title since 2014.
