Paige Spiranac defends Rory McIlroy after rocky US Open
In a message shared Sunday on X, the longtime golf influencer, 32, offered her take on the reigning Masters champion bypassing the media recently.
'Might be an unpopular opinion here but he doesn't have to talk to the media if he doesn't want to. It's not required. And why would he when everyone is always analyzing and criticizing his every move,' Spiranac wrote after McIlroy met with the media at Oakmont, where he finished tied for 19th at 7-over par.
'There is clearly something more going on none of us are privy to so maybe let's not all pile on.'
6 Paige Spiranac defended Rory McIlroy following his rocky U.S. Open appearance in June 2025.
6 Rory McIlroy finished tied for 19th at the U.S. Open.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
McIlroy, just two months removed from completing golf's Grand Slam with his Masters triumph in April, ducked the media after shooting a 4-over 74 in the first round at the Pittsburgh-area course on Thursday.
Two days later, the five-time major champion finally spoke with reporters, where he not only expressed he's 'felt a little flat' since reaching the sport's mountaintop, but vented his frustration with the media.
'I have been totally available for the last few years, and I'm not saying … maybe not you guys, but maybe more just the whole thing,' McIlroy said.
6 Rory McIlroy, seen here during the third round of the U.S. Open, ducked the media after the first round.
Getty Images
6 Paige Spiranac wrote on X of McIlroy, 'There is clearly something more going on none of us are privy to so maybe let's not all pile on.'
Instagram/ Paige Spiranac
6 Rory McIlroy is two months removed from his 2025 Masters triumph.
Getty Images
The Northern Irishman, 36, made headlines before last month's PGA Championship when his driver was deemed non-conforming and he did not meet with the press at all during that major at Quail Hollow.
He did not address the driver drama with the press.
'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do,' McIlroy said Saturday.
Despite the lackluster weekend at Oakmont, which saw J.J. Spaun capture his first career major win, McIlroy is motivated to close out the final major of the season on a high note in his home country.
6 Rory McIlroy during the fourth round of the U.S. Open on July 15, 2025.
AP
The 2025 Open Championship begins at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on July 17.
'I climbed my Everest in April, and I think, after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you've got to look for another mountain to climb,' McIlroy said. 'An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those.'
McIlroy last won The Open in 2014 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in the U.K.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player in Memphis
It took three extra holes to determine a champion, but Justin Rose was crowned the winner of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Rose finished at 16 under for the tournament, in a tie with 2025 U.S. Open Champion J.J. Spaun, who fired a 5-under 65 in Sunday's final round to force a playoff with the Englishman. Rose, who made four birdies in his last five holes in regulation, won it by making birdie on the last trip down No. 18 in the playoff, while Spaun made par. It's the 12th career PGA Tour victory for Rose, who will take home a trophy and a nice chunk of cash for his efforts. Here's the breakdown of how much money each player earned at the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship, where there was a purse of $20 million. FedEx St. Jude Championship 2025 prize money payouts
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Ben Shelton passes Djokovic for World No. 6 after first Masters 1000 win
Ben Shelton claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy on Thursday, defeating World No. 16 Karen Khachanov, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3), in a 2-hour and 47-minute final at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada. Shelton, 22, is quickly cementing himself as the future of American tennis. He's had career-best runs at every Grand Slam event this year, and reaching the latter stages of 500 and 1,000-point events has become commonplace. He's the sixth player born in the 2000s to win an ATP Masters 1000 title and the youngest American to do it since Andy Roddick won the Miami Open in 2003. 'I think everyone has a different path. Everyone's story is written differently. I've kind of done it my way,' Shelton said. 'There's been a lot of guys to look up to, just because how young they have been when they have broken through and have had so much success at big tournaments. Tennis seems to be a sport that has young champions all the time, which is not common or normal, it's ultra impressive. 'I hope that this week kind of kick-starts me and gets me more consistent with the type of tennis that I want to play day in and day out. It's certainly going to push me to work harder. I feel like I have a good grasp now on the things that really work for me against guys who are playing some of the best tennis in the world, and the things that I need to continue to work on.' Shelton's path to his maiden Masters 1000 title wasn't easy either. He had to get through World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in the semifinals, No. 8 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals and No. 12 (then No. 16) Khachanov in the final. Former No. 17 (now No. 22) Flavio Cobolli was also on the path to Shelton's championship. He's the youngest American to beat four top-20 players in the same tournament since Pete Sampras did it at the 1995 Indian Wells. Match Summary Both players held serve through the first six games, rarely allowing a return point. Shelton had three aces to Khachanov's two up to that point, but he also had the only double fault early on in the match. Khachanov delivered the first break of the match to go up, needing two advantages to do so. Shelton tried to respond, but Khachanov fended off a break point to hold serve. Shelton evened things up with a break in the 10th game, and he fired three aces in his next service match to go up 6-5. Khachanov survived three set points from Shelton, forcing a tiebreaker, and came back from 5-3 with four-straight points to claim the first set. It took even longer for the second set to reach a break point. Shelton won the ninth game, going up 5-4 into a service game for the set. Khachanov reached triple break point, but Shelton worked his way back one point at a time, denying one more break point and forcing a third set for the championship title. Neither player reached a break point in the third set, as if to say, let's settle this in the tiebreaker. Shelton entered the match with just five wins in 20 games after losing the first set, but he wasn't going to drop a second tiebreaker. After notching the all-important first return point, Shelton stayed on serve to go up 5-2. His 38th winner of the day put him a point away from his first Masters 1000 title, and an unforced error from Khachanov sealed it, 7-3 in the tiebreak. Ben Shelton's ATP ranking Shelton's newly acquired No. 6 ranking might not last long. He's dropping 230 points this week, according to the live rankings, which gives Djokovic a 40-point cushion to work with. If Shelton wins his second-round match (more on that below), he'll be tied with Djokovic. Jack Draper isn't too far away from Shelton with 4,440 points in the No. 5 spot. Shelton could certainly pass him with a deep run, especially because Draper isn't playing right now; neither is Djokovic. Catching up to Taylor Fritz at No. 4 (5,525) might be difficult, unless the top-ranked American falters in the Round of 32 — he's already recorded a win in Cincinnati. What's Next for Ben Shelton? There are no breaks at this point in the ATP Tour schedule. Another Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati starts as soon as the National Bank Open concludes, and Shelton is looking to make another deep run before a short break ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open. Shelton arrived in Cincinnati on Friday, less than 24 hours removed from winning the National Bank Open. He didn't have to play in the opening round as the fifth seed, but a second-round match with unseeded Camilo Ugo Carabelli awaits on Sunday, not before 7 p.m. ET, following the Carlos Alcaraz-Damir Dzumhur match on Center Court. Shelton and Carabelli have not faced each other yet, but Shelton is the easy favorite based on ranking and recent performance. However, it's tough to make runs in back-to-back tournaments, especially with just 72 hours of rest in between matches. A victory would match Shelton with Roberto Bautista Agut, whom the former Gator is 2-0 against, in the Round of 32. Potential matchups with Daniil Medvedev and Jiri Lehecka linger beyond that. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Reptile hunter removes 16-foot python from LA apartment building dumpster
Joseph Hart, sporting just jeans and a T-shirt, carefully removed the python from the apartment building dumpster in Los Angeles. (Credit: Instagram / @
