I’m on record just a few days ago saying Rory McIlroy needs to take a year off golf and get his head right. I was just shitting on this guy up one side and down the other because he’s got an attitude problem.
But also I was kinda serious about the wear and tear of having to stand in front of the media for years on the LIV contracts. He’s been the poster boy for The Game Of Golf and it has to be categorically exhausting to get the same questions and criticisms while your peers cash two-to-three-hundred-million-dollar checks.
If you think about it like that, nobody’s had a harder couple years than McIlroy.
Not that he’s broke or can’t feed his family and needs the money. But objectively speaking, he turned down maybe half a billion dollars so he could champion the PGA’s morality clause.
Now fast forward and it’s pretty obvious that he should’ve just taken the money because the 2 tours will ultimately merge under some uniform point system. If you believe otherwise then you’re could be very stupid.
And even if you still disagree, everyone knows Rory has been dragged and shit on throughout the process. So much that you could actually sense it having an impact on his game.
Granted – he’s always played well in major tournaments – but there’s maybe 2 professional wins in like an 8 year window for a guy that’s top 25 all time in professional wins.
It’s clear that he slowed down dramatically – and the connecting story is that he lost his competitive juices. People said that too much success too early made him less hungry, and that’s been frustrating to watch for golf purists. Rory’s one of the most naturally gifted players – and certainly the most powerful on the PGA Tour.
Even so, it was legitimately shocking to see him take that kid’s phone at the start of last week. And by KID I obviously mean one of the top college golfers in the world.
Which made it easy for me to think that Rory needed a break because he had clearly lost his mind.
I wasted no time making that judgment.
In fact I would argue that Rory McIlroy should have just withdrawn in the moment to prevent future embarrassment because he was getting roasted in the media. He refused to address the situation, kept giving the same canned answers and just generally appeared to be a little leprechaun troll about the whole situation.
I have never been more wrong.
Me about Rory McIlroy needing to withdraw from The 2025 Players
I fucking stink out loud.
Rory McIlroy won today easily over JJ Spaun in a 3-hole playoff after tying the 72-hole tournament at 12-under become just the 4th player in golf history to win both win multiple Players and Majors
In 4 rounds, he went:
- -5
- -4
- +1
- -4
It was close enough for a playoff but then really never close once the playoff started this morning. Which was kinda sad to watch because I like an underdog story, and that’s exactly JJ Spaun to me: self-taught municipal course guy that went severely under-recruited and overlooked. And naturally we want to see an American in the winner circle but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Rory McIlroy was destined to win The 2025 Players. There’s really no other way to explain it when you further consider that he missed more than half his fairways this week. Specifically, he had the worst driving percentage of any champion in the history of The Players.
Do you know how many different shots in the bag you need when half your approaches are from the rough and pinestraw at TPC Sawgrass?
I think that makes it more special than if he set a record for MOST fairways.
I think winning when you have your worst is the greatest testament to good golf and that’s becoming a familiar talking point with Rory.
Is he my favorite?
Absolutely not.
But after this weekend I don’t have a choice but to do a complete 180 in all respects. Especially considering that I publicly called for his voluntarily-self-disqualification on the grounds he isn’t mentally ready to compete on the big stage like The Players.
And then he promptly shoved it down my throat and out my butt cheeks.
So congratulations to Rory.
My ass is very sore.