It's Rorymania as McIlroy reinvents British invasion

Justin Bieber will swan to these shores later this year and his presence is expected to cause hysteria, much in the way Rory McIlroy has had the masses in a tizz here this week.

The presence of golf's hottest property at this week's SA Open has provided a glimpse of what local "Beliebers" are likely to get up to.

The reaction of a gaggle of young girls when McIlroy breezed past on the opening day was likened by a wise old sage in the media centre to The Beatles arriving in the US.

McIlroy has been the undoubted drawcard at this event. Tournament organisers were understandably in a mild state of panic when he brought into question, after his second round, his continued participation in the event due to a troublesome back.

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"I'm actually surprised I'm standing here, I actually thought about pulling out before even teeing off. I can't really take a deep breath because I've done something to my upper back," he said after that round.

His devotees who had gathered outside the players' locker room yesterday morning to see if the former world No1 would report for duty breathed easy when he emerged.

They, after all, had come to see him, especially after local hero and tournament host Ernie Els failed to make the cut.

McIlroy is here to honour a promise he made Els. The two are tight, so much so that the four-time Major winner named his dog Theo, in honour of Theodore Ernest Els.

But Els isn't the only South African sportsman McIlroy gets giddy over. He revealed at the Pro-Am dinner that he holds Springbok and Ulster scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar in the highest regard.

There were gasps.

The size of the gallery following him around the course over the first three days was unprecedented with marshals having their hands full.

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The Ulsterman teed off at 7.10am on the first day and the masses were there. Yesterday was no different as spectators almost stretched the length of the first fairway.

Playing partner and defending champion Brandon Stone appeared a little star-struck.

"If I play with him it may be a bit intimidating, I think," remarked first-round leader Trevor Fisher Jnr at the end of his second round.

"If I'm paired with him it would be nice, if not I'll try and be with him in the final round."

McIlroy has taken everything in his determined stride. For a man who is used to the middle of the fairway, he ventured well out of his comfort zone with a trip to the bush last week.

"Probably one of the best experiences of my life," he said about his visit to the Kruger Park. "I'm not really an outdoorsy sort of person," said the man from Hollywood, Northern Ireland.

"We are definitely going to go back. I didn't know how much I'd be into it."

And little did he know how much South Africans would be into him.