Rory McIlroy has been grabbing the headlines just as much as Celtic have over the last couple of weeks.
Celtic are on the brink of another title win and a world-record ninth domestic treble as Brendan Rodgers continues the Parkhead club’s domination of Scottish football.
McIlroy’s recent 2025 Masters win has elevated the Northern Irishman to the upper echelons of golf as he picked up his 44th professional win of his glittering career.
However, after McIlroy suffered heartache in a 2024 US Open final day collapse, a former Celtic flop has likened how he felt at Parkhead to how the current Masters champions would have felt on that fateful day at Pinehurst.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesTony Cascarino compares Celtic career to Rory McIlroy’s 2024 US Open defeat
Tony Cascarino arrived at Celtic from Aston Villa in 1991 under Liam Brady with a high pedigree.
A full Republic of Ireland international at the time, Cascarino was brought to the club at a time of turbulence at Parkhead.
Speaking about his short Celtic career, Cascarino has likened how he felt at that time to what Rory McIlroy felt after losing the 2024 US Open.
Cascarino told the Irish Daily Mirror, “At Celtic, people used to say ‘f—–g hell, you’ve gone away and scored again for Ireland, but you’ve not scored here’.
“It was a very big learning curve for me as it was the first time I suffered criticism and self-doubt. I was conscious of it, and when that happens, you overcomplicate things.
“When Rory McIlroy lost the US Open, the last thing he wanted to do was play golf. I recall thinking I don’t want to play football.
“It’s weird because it’s the game I love. If you fall out of love with the game for a period, you can spiral.
“There’s definitely a player in Evan, but he needs work to get him back to being a player that can scare the life out of people.”
Tony Cascarino’s only real impact at Celtic vs Rangers
Tony Cascarino scored just four goals for Celtic in 18 appearances for the club.
After leaving for Chelsea, the former Aston Villa man did deliver one lasting memory for the Celtic supporters.
In November 1991, Cascarino equalised for Celtic at Ibrox after Ally McCoist put Rangers ahead as the Irishman latched onto a slack passback to earn the Hoops a draw.
Overall, Cascarino’s time at Celtic is a forgettable period for the former Chelsea man. His only regret surely must be that, unlike McIlroy did at the Masters, Cascarino never managed to right the wrongs of the biggest move of his career.
