Paul Kimmage at the US Open: What's eating Rory McIlroy?
Rory McIlroy battled back on another difficult day at the US Open in Oakmont yesterday. In danger of missing the cut, McIlroy birdied the 15th and 18th to make the weekend at six over par. But once again he opted not to talk to the media. Paul Kimmage and Brian Keogh have followed McIlroy for many years and are baffled. 'What's eating Rory?' Paul asks Brian.
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The 42
31 minutes ago
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Burns tees off with US Open lead as McIlroy finds more misery
SAM BURNS, chasing his first major title, teed off with a one-stroke lead in Saturday's third round of the US Open, while second-ranked Rory McIlroy found more misery at rain-soaked Oakmont. Burns, a 28-year-old American whose most recent win came at the 2023 WGC Match Play, was on three-under par 137 for 36 holes, a stroke ahead of last-pair US playing partner J.J. Spaun. Norway's Viktor Hovland was two back and the only other player under par as the leaders began their trek over the iconic and intimidating layout in quest of a $4.3 million top prize. An inch of rain drenched Oakmont overnight with more on Saturday, leaving the course receptive for 67 players making the cut on seven-over 147. Big names still struggled while others made charges. McIlroy made bogeys on three of his last five holes to fire a four-over par 74 and stand on 10-over, 13 strokes adrift. 'I was hoping to play better, but I didn't,' McIlroy said, calling his tournament 'pretty average' so far. Advertisement 'The name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there,' McIlroy said. 'But it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly.' Rory McIlroy just have an emotive press conference explaining why he has been skipping media; 'It's more a frustration with you guys.' This is worth a watch. — Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) June 14, 2025 McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters for his fifth major title, missed a seven-foot putt to bogey the third hole and took a penalty drop, leading to a bogey at nine. He dropped his approach inside four feet to set up a birdie at the 10th but found a greenside bunker at 11 and made bogey then lipped out from inside four feet to bogey 14 and missed the green at the par-three 16th on the way to bogey. McIlroy found a greenside bunker off the 17th tee but blasted out inches from the hole and tapped in for birdie, only to find the right rough off the 18th tee on the way to bogey. Asked what he looked for on Sunday, McIlroy said, 'Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here.' - Scheffler struggling - Third-ranked American Xander Schauffele, the reigning British Open champion, fired a 71 to stand on seven-over 217. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, seeking back-to-back major titles after taking last month's PGA Championship, had two birdies and three bogeys in his first eight holes to fall to five-over. Scheffler opened with a three-putt bogey, dropped in a 13-foot birdie putt on the right side of the hole at two, curved in a 19-foot birdie putt at the par-three sixth, but made a three-putt bogey at the par-three eighth and a bogey at nine after a penalty drop. Two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain sank a birdie putt from just inside 14 feet at the second, made bogey at three after finding a fairway bunker, then sank a 23-foot birdie putt at the par-three eighth to stand on three-over. There were bright spots, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre among them. The reigning Scottish Open champion birdied the second on a 12-foot putt and the sixth from 19 feet to stand two-over after 13 holes. Third-generation American golf pro Sam Stevens, whose grandfather made 30 PGA Tour starts in the 1960s, was on one-over after he sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the third hole and holed out from just inside 16 feet at the par-five fourth. Mexico's Carlos Ortiz was also on one-over after birdies at the fourth and sixth from just inside eight and six feet respectively. Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen reeled off four consecutive birdies to stand one-over after seven holes. – © AFP 2025 You can view the full leaderboard here
The 42
31 minutes ago
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Rory McIlroy opens up on silence after golf and post-Masters funk
SECOND-RANKED Rory McIlroy ended his silence after major golf rounds on Saturday at the US Open, opening up about feeling flat after a historic Masters win and earning the right to avoid post-golf talks. McIlroy had not spoken with the media for six consecutive major golf rounds until he stopped to talk following a four-over-par 74 in the third round of the US Open at Oakmont that left him on 10-over 220. 'It's not out of the ordinary. I've done it before. I'm just doing it a little more often,' McIlroy said of the silent treatment to reporters. 'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah.' McIlroy admitted that part of why he played better down the stretch on Friday in a fight to make the cut was that he didn't care if he played the weekend or not at formidable Oakmont. 'It's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not,' McIlroy admitted. '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.' Advertisement His mindset has been an issue since his epic effort in April to win the Masters and complete a career Grand Slam, a major goal he has yet to recover from in some ways. 'I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards,' McIlroy said. 'You don't really know how it's going to affect you. You don't know how you're going to react.' McIlroy had not spoken after a major round since an emotional session at Augusta National after the Masters, in part, he says, due to the leaking of his driver failing a rules test just before last month's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. Also irksome was that top-ranked Scottie Scheffler's failed driver test remained private until the American chose to reveal it after winning the PGA. - Frustration - 'It's more a frustration with you guys,' McIlroy told reporters. 'I'm just, yeah, I don't know, I've been totally available for the last few years, and I'm not saying, maybe not you guys, but maybe more just the whole thing (is frustrating). Asked about the driver leak, McIlroy said, 'I mean, that was a part of it. Yeah, that was a part of it.' McIlroy said his silence after years of being the main speaker and face of the US PGA Tour was not a challenge to rules that don't require players to talk after rounds, as some US sports leagues have. 'No, I'm not daring them to do anything. I hope they don't change it because it's a nice luxury to have,' McIlroy said. 'But I'm just pointing out the fact that we have the ability to do it.' McIlroy struggled with his driver at the PGA and missed the cut at last week's US PGA Canadian Open, with driver woes a major factor. That, at least, McIlroy appears to have solved with a comfortable driver. 'I've driven the ball better,' he said. 'I've driven the ball as good as I have in a long time, so that's at least a positive this week.' McIlroy said he didn't feel horrible about his play at Oakmont despite two 74s and a 72. 'I actually feel like I've played OK this week,' he said. 'It's a sort of golf course where the tiniest mistakes get penalised a lot, and that's sort of how it has felt this week.' – © AFP 2025
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy makes shocking US Open admission and explains media snubs
Rory McIlroy admits he would have been happy to miss the cut after suffering more Oakmont punishment at the US Open. The Holywood man scrambled two birdies in the final four holes during Friday's second round to book his weekend stay but revealed he would have not have minded going home. That feeling was even more prevalent after another bruising round on 'moving day', where the only direction he was heading was down. Trouble was never far away as he made six bogeys in a round of 74 and when his par-putt kissed the lips of the hole from three and a half feet and went out on the 14th, he was seen quietly mouthing an expletive, presumably telling the Oakmont course exactly where to go. He sits near the foot of the leaderboard at 10 over par and is counting down the hours until he can go home. Asked what his expectations were for Sunday's final round, he said: 'Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here. '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'? So it makes it easier to play better when you're in that mindset. 'I actually feel like I've played OK this week. It's a golf course where the tiniest mistakes get penalised a lot and that's sort of how it's felt this week. 'The name of the game this week is staying patient and try to do a good job of it out there, but it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly.' McIlroy spoke having skipped media duties after the last six rounds of major tournaments, putting it down to frustration at the reporting of his driver failing a 'non-conforming' test during the PGA Championship last month. With media duties voluntary and not a requirement he insists he has earned the right to choose when he speaks. 'It's more a frustration with you guys,' he said. 'I've been totally available for the last few years. '(The driver) thing was a part of it. But 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. 'I'm not daring them (the PGA Tour) to do anything. I hope they don't change it because it's a nice luxury to have. 'But I'm just pointing out the fact that we have the ability to do it.'
