I guess one thing Rory McIlroy got with his first Masters Tournament title and officially becoming a grand slam winner was a big head. Not in an arrogant way, per se, but in the way that he can just say and do what he wants in his interactions with media members. He’s always had a cripple relationship with media members, but now that the pressure is off of him to win The Masters, he thinks he can just duck media requests.
Maybe he’s just mad about how he played at Oakmont and is having some misguided anger. The 125th U.S. Open was always going to be a challenge thanks to the brutal conditions at Oakmont Country Club. But that doesn’t give McIlroy the right to decline media requests.
I get it, he doesn’t have to do any sort of media requests or any interviews, they’re completely optional. But taking his frustrations out on media members who are simply doing their job is a bit irrational. Maybe I’m a little biased, but all he’s doing is alienating himself from the sports fans.
Rory McIlroy feels he’s a target and his attitude at the U.S. Open is proof of that
McIlroy not only openly said he didn’t care if he made the cut at Oakmont or not and rather him dodging media requests had to do with frustrations with media members, per NUCLR GOLF’s X platform account. He then went on to say he feels like he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants, when it comes to speaking.
I’m just curious why it has now become a problem? He’s been criticized for years throughout his career about whether he would complete golf’s most cherished achievement in the grand slam if he could win in Augusta. Yet, he still took requests, talked openly with media members and didn’t at least admit to feeling targeted.
Now he feels as if he’s being targeted. I’m sure it has more to do with the fact that he hasn’t been playing well since winning The Masters. That’s nobody else’s fault but his own, so it’s interesting that now it is when he chooses to pick a fight with media members.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all of this is happening after his Masters win. He probably feels untouchable and feels he shouldn’t be overly criticized now that he’s accomplished something very few golfers have. And to an extent, I respect that.
But LeBron James has four NBA championships and still gets criticized; he holds the record for most points in a career that will probably never be broken and he still gets condemned every now and then. Career milestones don’t absolve you from fair criticism when you aren’t playing well.
That’s the realization McIlroy has to come to. Nobody is questioning his career. But if you aren’t playing well, you can’t hold that against anybody but yourself. McIlroy is probably mad at himself and maybe has a more careless attitude after finally accomplishing golf’s grand slam. That’s fine, but that doesn’t mean he can take his frustration out on people who are simply doing their job.