Rory McIlroy 'didn't care' about making US Open cut as candid confession made
Rory McIlroy has struggled throughout the US Open and confessed he wasn't bothered about making the cut and was looking forward to getting off the golf course on Sunday
Rory McIlroy admitted he "didn't care" whether or not he made the cut as his forgettable US Open continued on Saturday. The Northern Irishman had narrowly kept himself in the tournament, but carded another round over par.
Winner of this tournament back in 2011, McIlroy has struggled at Oakmont as he produced a third-round 74 on Saturday which pushed him further away from the leaders. He now sits at 10 over par and is outside the top 50 on the leaderboard.
McIlroy's body language has been questioned after a difficult build up. The Masters champion never got himself in contention at the PGA Championship recently and has seen another major pass him by on American shores.
The 36-year-old has been honest enough to confess that in the closing holes on Friday he wasn't bothered whether he made the cut or went home early such were his struggles.
He said: 'It's funny, it's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not. I was sort of thinking: 'Do I really want two more days here or not?''
Ahead of Sunday's final round McIlroy was asked what he's looking to achieve and made it clear he wanted to get off the course and away from the tournament as fast as he could. He said: 'Hopefully, a round in under four-and-a-half hours and get out of here.'
The Northern Irishman has continued to give the press the cold shoulder. He confessed his annoyance with how some of the press handled the leaked story surrounding his driver before last month's US PGA Championship. It emerged that the United States Golf Association (USGA) instructed McIlroy to change the club just two days before the event after an equipment inspection found that it was "non-conforming".
McIlroy is not contractually obliged to speak to the media at events and has decided to be far quieter - which he claims he's well within his rights to do.
"I have been totally available for the past number of years," he said. "That [driver issue] was a part of it but at Augusta I skipped you guys on Thursday. It's not out of the ordinary as I've done it before, but I am doing it a little more often. I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do."
McIlroy admitted he has struggled for motivation since joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan in the exclusive club following his success at Augusta, which was the last obstacle he needed to overcome in his career.
'You don't really know how it's going to affect you,' he admitted. 'You don't know how you're going to react to such a… I wouldn't say a life-altering occasion, but at least something that I've dreamed about for a long time. Yeah, I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards.'
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The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Rory McIlroy's indifference is understandable after achieving his dream
A snapshot of Rory McIlroy's new normal arrived the day before the US PGA Championship began. McIlroy's practice round at Quail Hollow was watched by more than 50, inside the ropes. Journalists, content creators, wannabe content creators … everyone wanted not just a glimpse – you can get that from the bleachers – but a piece of golf's latest grand slam man. McIlroy played a hole while being interviewed for the tournament's main preview show. All soft, knock-around stuff but inevitably a distraction. It was difficult to shake the notion that Tiger Woods would never have tolerated such a scenario. It is also thankfully a truism that McIlroy is not Tiger Woods. The Northern Irishman's chatty, warm personality endears him to so many. In a non-tribal sport people root for Rory, none more so than at Augusta National when more that a decade of frustration ended amid euphoric April scenes. Hardened men shed tears in a media centre, no less. 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This was a clumsy situation, largely on account of a needlessly secretive process but it was McIlroy's name alone that surfaced. It did via a partner broadcaster, which will have turned heads in Camp McIlroy. Conspiracy theorists ignored the fact he was 175th on the PGA Tour's driver accuracy table heading into the US PGA. There is a reason a seven-iron sits in McIlroy's display cabinet in Augusta's champions locker room. Headlines subsequently surrounded McIlroy's failure to play the Memorial tournament in Ohio. The event had never appeared on McIlroy's schedule in the first place. Far more significant than McIlroy not advertising his plans is that he deems big events on the PGA Tour worthy of skipping. McIlroy has spoken about scaling down his playing commitments in the US; he will instead appear in India and Australia in 2025. The US-obsessed PGA Tour should be concerned by its biggest draw's dream of a properly global sport. Sportspeople often speak of regret having not enjoyed their highest highs. With Green Jacket in tow, McIlroy headed to England and Northern Ireland. He did the chatshow circuit in New York. Presumably he found the Europa League final as tedious as the rest of us but he made sure he had a front-row seat in Bilbao. The resetting of goals, the hitting of more greens, can wait. Few people know what on earth it is like to wake up one morning knowing the only thing that has got you out of bed for the last 10 years is now on your CV. A McIlroy psychological adjustment from this position is as necessary as it may be difficult. McIlroy is cheesed off that he is not playing well – a matter only exaggerated at Oakmont's brutal setup – when there is an abundance of rationale behind that. He is out of competitive sync. 'It's really hard to describe to somebody that hasn't really lived through it,' explained Scottie Scheffler. 'When I woke up after [winning] the PGA Championship this year, I literally felt like I got hit by a bus. I felt terrible. Mentally it is exhausting, physically it is a grind. I can only imagine how Rory felt after winning the career grand slam.' After his third round at this US Open, he stood before the media when giving the impression he would rather be undergoing root canal treatment. He had skipped post-round duties for the previous six rounds in a row, only one of which was sub-70. Until the tournament obligates players to talk when requested – which is precisely what they should do – McIlroy can demonstrate his general annoyance in this way. Golf's clickbait modern media world means McIlroy has no scope to speak on an off-the-record basis. 'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do,' McIlroy said. His wording here was unusually clumsy, making him look entitled; which he is not. Even when trying to pay lip service, McIlroy cannot stop turning heads. His admission that he didn't care whether he made the Oakmont cut was as brutally honest as it was striking. McIlroy has been irritated by elements of the media before. Last summer, he changed his phone number after untimely and intrusive messages asking for his thoughts on losing by a shot to Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open. McIlroy has never really explained his famous 'if you want to be in the circus, you have to put up with the clowns' comment of more than a decade ago but it appeared a pointed reference to press speculation. Despite these and other minor rumbles, McIlroy has been great for reporters; a constant source of news and unfailingly helpful towards those with whom he has built up proper relationships. The sporting public will remember McIlroy's wondrous shot into the 15th at Augusta on Masters Sunday. They will recall a young man beating the turf on the 18th green while in floods of joyous tears. 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