1 week Ago
AUGUSTA — It’s like that, huh? So now Rory McIlroy wants to talk. He didn’t make a beeline to the practice range or head to the parking lot, slam his trunk and hit Washington Road in a huff on April 11. McIlroy instead ambled over to Augusta National’s palatial media center to discuss his second round in this year’s Masters.
McIlroy was thoughtful and confident. Oh, how things can change from one day to the next when you’re paid big bucks to hit a tiny ball for a living. It was less than 24 hours earlier when McIlroy, who’s second in the latest Official World Golf Rankings, blew off any and all questions .
Perhaps the criticism McIlroy received for remaining tight-lipped in the midst of a major championship goaded him to speak the next day. That would be a nod to the grassroots golf fans he frequently cited while vehemently defending the PGA Tour’s honor, the ones he insisted were losing the most from the split with LIV Golf . How adult of him.
More likely, however, it’s because he shot a 6-under-par 66 and is only two strokes behind leader Justin Rose heading into the weekend. Going bogey-free loosens the tongue, apparently, just as playing the closing four holes at 4 over to finish at par zips the lips. That’s how McIlroy closed his first round here.
That finish and reaction created more drama around an event that’s taunted him for years. "I think (I'm) overall just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night,” McIlroy said. “I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday.
And I wasn't going to let two bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week. But ultimately, yeah, just proud of how I got back into it today.” He should be proud.
McIlroy has now shot 66 or better six times here. That puts him shoulder-to-shoulder with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth for most rounds of 66 or better in the Masters. Bravo.
But is he proud of wanting to have things both ways? McIlroy explained his hasty exit as a combination of wanting to get home before his 4-year-old daughter went to bed and to separate himself from a forgettable finish. Both excuses hold water. They become murky, however, since we’ve seen this from him before.
Don’t forget his hasty exit after the U.S. Open last year when he spun parking lot gravel with his courtesy SUV while getting the heck out of Pinehurst.
His putter abandoned him down the stretch, and Bryson DeChambeau won a second major title. It wasn't a great look. Though, To be fair, McIlroy isn’t the only culprit who's dashed during tough times.
Collin Morikawa couldn’t get away from Bay Hill fast enough after his runner-up finish last month in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His first reason, given five days later, was “I don’t owe anyone anything.” Then, after harsh rebukes from some analysts and former players, he doubled down with “I don’t regret anything I said.
You know, it might have been a little bit harsh that I don’t owe anyone, but I don’t owe anyone.” Yes, we heard you the first time, Collin. Maybe it’s just another step in the evolution of a game that, incredibly, is becoming even more of an individual (selfish?) sport.
Professional golfers are now getting the money they wanted and doing less to get it. These recent episodes — along with other cases — indicate they want everything else on their terms, too. Not that there haven’t been silent, or even surly, characters throughout the game’s long history.
The great Ben Hogan was scary. Speaking with David Duval was like decoding the statues on Easter Island. Vijay Singh .
.. not cuddly.
Those are merely three quick examples. It’s just especially ironic that McIlroy wouldn’t speak while competing in the most genteel of tournaments. Manners, sir, are expected at Augusta .
Especially when you’ve been on the receiving end of so much sympathy after so many letdowns here. But he sure spoke on Friday. Afterward, dozens of reporters returned like cattle to their work stations.
They did so as DeChambeau was announced next in the main interview room, this while a massive video board showed the man himself taking a seat. Normally it’s not a big deal, and that explained the mass exodus. Rather, it’s news when DeChambeau keeps his mouth shut, not when he speaks.
And he didn’t disappoint after firing a second-round 4-under 68 to move to within a shot of Rose . True to form, DeChambeau went into precise detail about his round, the psychology of his round, the science of his round and the mechanics of his round. It was typical information overload at a rapid rate.
This response is a classic example. “You have to put yourself in position (to win),” DeChambeau said. “You have to fail.
You have to lose. You have to win. You have to come from behind.
You have to hold the lead. All those expectations and feelings have to get conquered in your mind. That’s why this game is played between your ears.
” For the record, the question regarded his efforts to not press too hard. Such responses can be exhausting under normal conditions. After McIlroy’s repeated stunts, however, they now doesn’t seem so grating or annoying, at all.
They're actually pretty endearing..
