Rory McIlroy says he ‘didn't really care' about making US Open cut at Oakmont

The Guardian

20 hours ago

Rory McIlroy admitted he was in two minds over whether or not he wanted to make the US Open cut, in the latest nod to the Northern Irishman's psychological struggles since winning the Masters in April.
McIlroy birdied two of his last four holes on Friday evening to survive for the closing 36 holes at Oakmont. Until that point, he was heading for an early exit. McIlroy returned to the course to post 74 on Saturday, leaving him 10 over for the week, before addressing the media for the first time since Tuesday. McIlroy's body language suggested he would rather he elsewhere.
'It's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not,' said McIlroy in only half-joking tone. 'I was sort of thinking, do I really want two more days here or not? So it makes it easier to play better when you're in that mindset.
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'I alluded to it in my pre-tournament press conference, you don't really know how it [winning the Masters] is going to affect you. 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. I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards.'
McIlroy called his overall US Open performance 'pretty average' before being similarly blunt on his aspirations for day four. 'Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here,' he said.
McIlroy's relationship with sections of the media has felt frosty since last month's US PGA Championship. There, news broke that his driver had failed a standard test for a non-conforming face. No other player was named in the initial report, despite the fact that eventual champion Scottie Scheffler encountered the same issue. McIlroy had avoided post-round press conferences for six major days in a row before Saturday. At Oakmont he referenced 'frustration' with the press.
'That was a part of it,' said McIlroy of whether driver-gate had prompted him to step back from media duties. 'At Augusta I skipped you guys on Thursday so it's not out of the ordinary. I've done it before, I'm just doing it a little more often. I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do.'