a day ago
Rory McIlroy knows Paul McGinley's thoughts after what he did at US Open
Rory McIlroy's latest refusal to engage with the media won't have pleased Paul McGinley.
The Masters champion endured a disastrous first round at the US Open at the notoriously tough Oakmont course. That was despite a promising start, which saw him reach the turn at two under, having started at the 10th.
His round took a drastic turn for the worse, culminating in a four-over-par 74. McIlroy's back nine took 41 shots, a stretch that saw four bogeys and a double bogey, leaving him needing an exceptional turnaround to claim the third major of the year.
McIlroy then chose not to speak to journalists following his round, continuing a pattern of avoidance established during last month's PGA Championship when he steered clear of interviews following news that his driver had failed a legality test on the eve of the tournament.
Ex-European Ryder Cup captain McGinley has expressed his disapproval of players dodging post-round interviews. Other top-tier golfers, like Collin Morikawa and Shane Lowry, have performed similar snubs this season.
Speaking at the PGA Championship, McGinley told Sky Sports: "My view is very clear. I said it about Collin Morikawa and I'll say it about other players. I'll say it about Rory McIlroy, I don't like it when they don't do interviews.
"I don't think it's good for the game, I don't think it's good for their persona. Rory is very popular and you run the risk of undoing a lot of the popularity when you don't speak, whatever his reasons were."
McIlroy spoke about his media relations at a press conference before the Canadian Open, where he didn't make the cut. He explained: "From a responsibility standpoint, I understand [why he should speak to the media].
"But if we all wanted to, we could all bypass you guys and we could just go on this [our phones] and go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way.
"We understand that's not ideal for you guys, and there's a bigger dynamic at play here. I talk to the media a lot, and I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street. We understand the benefit that comes from you being here and giving us the platform.
"But I've been beating this drum for a long time. If they [golf officials] want to make it mandatory [to speak to the media] that's fine, but in our rules it says it's not and until the day when it's maybe written into regulations, you're going to have guys skip from time to time and that's well within our rights."
As day two at Oakmont approaches, McIlroy finds himself trailing first-round leader JJ Spaun by eight shots. Spaun managed to master the challenging course with a flawless 66.
McIlroy wasn't the only one to struggle. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau finished on three over while world number three Xander Schauffele was two over.
Meanwhile, his playing partners, Justin Rose and Lowry, fared even worse. Masters runner-up Rose carded a seven-over 77, while Lowry was two shots further back, with both in danger of missing the cut.
