In global golfing terms Rory McIlroy and Lloyd Saltman might as well be on different planets.
While McIlroy's professional career blasted off like a rocket, Saltman's has remained largely on the launch pad.
He may operate in a world of glitz and glamour, but McIlroy remains a down-to-earth lad. Yesterday at Muirfield it was a case of friends reunited as the two former amateur sparring partners reacquainted themselves at the Open Championship during a carefree amble through a practice round. Even Tiger Woods did not want to encroach on this walk down memory lane.
"I did get an offer from Tiger as well," revealed McIlroy, the world No.2, who is 610 places above Saltman on the global pecking order. "I guess he knew I was going out early and he said, 'Are we going to play together?' and I said, 'I'm going to play with a good friend of mine from back in the amateur days, but you're welcome to join us if want to play'. Tiger said, 'I'll just let you two have fun', so we went out ahead of him.
"You never forget where you come from, of course not. Lloyd is a good friend and we've known the family for a long time, so it was great to be able to catch up."
The sight of McIlroy and Saltman striding out together in a major championship was supposed to be a regular occurrence, of course. In this unpredictable game, though, the golfing crystal ball doesn't always get it right. All-conquering forces on the amateur stage and GB&I team-mates in the 2007 Walker Cup at County Down, the duo both turned professional the day after that transatlantic tussle and were tipped for great things. McIlroy went on to secure his European Tour card barely a month later by finishing third in the Dunhill Links Championship and has since scaled the heights into the rarefied air of a major winner.
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