We’ve been here before. In fact, thirty-three times. Rory McIlroy, the greatest player of his generation, is preparing another major entry to add to his foursome. Thirty-three times he has taught in a major since winning the 2014 PGA Championship in Valhalla, and 33 times, he has come off the course without a trophy.
Seven times, he’s left before the weekend, and each time, he’s listed among the “Missing Notables” posts that appear on Saturday mornings. But 19 times, he’s played his way into the top ten, an average of more than twice a year. Sometimes he plays well when the pressure is off and storms the Sunday leaderboard with no real hope of winning – Rory Backdoor Top 10 is a Twitter golf favorite – and sometimes, like last year in this tournament, he plays well enough to win only to see someone else rip out his heart And show it to him.
At this point it should feel like a six put within five feet of the pin. But we can’t really know, because all of a sudden, McIlroy decided to stop speaking before the majors.
He begged for his place at the US Open last month, and on Monday it was reported that he would not be speaking during his scheduled 9am BST slot on Tuesday. It’s a blow to reporters looking to break down pre-tournament columns, and fans looking for a bit of color insight, but will it lead to another major? be determined.
Whether in the crowd or on the stage, McIlroy is genial, polite, and unfailingly charming. He understands the media’s role in building not just the game, but his own brand. Plenty of gamers are blessed with inquisitive minds that venture off the ropes, but McIlroy is one of the few – perhaps the only one – who shares his thoughts on so many topics, broadly and openly.
In a golf eco setting, you probably do Hear him say it in the final season of “Succession”. As needed to back out golf ball hauls. He is thoughtful and insightful into the history of the game. the strategy involved in attacking courses around the world; Routes at the intersection of golf, politics and economics.
No wonder McIlroy is such a precious interview subject; If you had a choice, say, between a thesis on Tiger Woods’ role in shaping the modern game or three empty words in this week’s tournament, which direction would you turn?
But all that openness has a negative effect, as anyone who gets overly shared on social media can attest. McIlroy found himself the spokesperson for the PGA Tour, and speakers are required to speak. Often and in depth. And though it would be an exaggeration to say that McIlroy’s openness cost him major victories, it is not unreasonable to suppose that being the friend of every journalist could have an effect on one’s mental readiness.
Combine that simple psychological reality with the fact that the PGA Tour treated McIlroy like a hotel room on spring break, rewarding his loyalty by giving him hours’ notice before last month’s Tour-Saudi Public Investment Fund agreement was announced, and you can see why McIlroy might prefer the Netflix queue company. his own. The three questions he answered in a short session after the training round were so bland that they could be instantly forgotten.
“My game looks like it’s in good shape,” said McIlroy, “but I think I saw the way I played last week and the ability to control the ball in very difficult circumstances, and I feel good about that this week.” Sure, it’s a serviceable enough quote, but from McIlroy, it’s like watching a Michelin-starred chef heat up a can of tomato soup.
McIlroy finished as a solo runner-up at the US Open last month, continuing an impressive streak of top-10 finishes in his last seven events. So maybe there is something to this cone-of-silence routine. He will open his tournament at 9:59 AM ET alongside John Rahm and Justin Rose. And if trends hold, he’ll be speaking Sunday night, too. But whether he’s smiling or coping again with another loss… well, that’s the big question, right?
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