Everyone has an opinion on Rory McIlroy. Including Rory McIlroy.
After exorcising his demons and completing the career Grand Slam — becoming just the sixth golfer to do it — there’s been a noticeable shift in McIlroy’s approach to the media. Skipping post-round interviews after a bad outing isn’t a new phenomenon, but it’s reared its head more often lately, especially around the Masters.
At the PGA Championship, McIlroy skipped all four scheduled media sessions, a move he later defended. For someone often positioned as one of the faces of the sport, it felt like a quiet abdication of responsibility. The PGA Tour is reportedly “concerned” about the trend, but McIlroy seems to feel he’s earned the right to handle things on his terms. That mindset has left some, like Scott Van Pelt, baffled. It’s even led Dan Patrick to suggest McIlroy is carrying out a personal vendetta.
Still, as Patrick criticized McIlroy’s disappearing act, he brought on NBC Sports’ lead golf voice, Steve Sands, to unpack it. Sands recalled a recent dinner conversation with Patrick, in which they discussed Rory’s media silence, something Sands called “sad” to still be dealing with at this stage of McIlroy’s career.
“I think he’s really bothered by what happened at the PGA Championship when the USGA and the PGA of America basically threw him under the bus and leaked out that his driver had to get taken away,” said Sands on The Dan Patrick Show. “So did Scottie Scheffler’s, by the way, and he went on to win. But his name wasn’t leaked out. Rory’s was. He had just won the career Grand Slam. I think there’s a motivation factor right now that he’s trying to find that gear again. His whole life was geared towards doing something. Now that he’s done it, he’s naturally kind of taken his foot off the gas a little bit.
“I think he’s upset that his name was leaked out. He didn’t like the way the media handled that. The media actually went forward with that, as opposed to perhaps going to him off the record, saying, ‘Hey, I just found this out. What would you like me to do with it? Because I have to go report it.’ That kind of thing. I also think he’s not playing very well. And I don’t think he likes talking about that too often.”
It’s not hard to see where McIlroy’s frustration is coming from. After finally conquering the mental hurdle that’s defined his career, he was immediately thrust back into controversy, though not one of his own making. The timing of the leak, paired with the contrast in how Scheffler was treated, clearly stung.
But even if the media mishandled it, McIlroy’s cold shoulder doesn’t just punish the press. It also leaves fans, many of whom rooted for him through years of major heartbreak, without the insight and perspective only he can provide.
“But, I’ve gotta tell you. As much as I love Rory, I think you have to be professional,” Sands continued. “And you have to speak when you win and when you lose. Jack Nicklaus was the greatest champion in the sport. He was also the greatest loser in the sport. And I think he needs to man up and speak to the media because you don’t want them directing the narrative. You should direct the narrative. And I think he’s making a mistake. And I hope he gets back and starts to do what he normally does because, by the way, he’s so great with the media. He needs to do it. It’s not professional.”
That’s the paradox with Rory. When he talks, he’s as thoughtful and open as anyone in sports. He doesn’t rely on canned answers or clichés. He gives you something real. Which is what makes the recent vow of silence feel so jarring.
“And, by the way, Rory is such a great guy,” Sands adds. “And he’s so smart and insightful. And he’s fabulous with the writers. He’s fabulous on podcasts. He’s fabulous on shows like (The Dan Patrick Show), and on TV with us. I hope he gets back to doing it regularly because he’s so good at it. But right now, he’s in a little bit of a funk with the media. And he’s not giving the media what it wants.”
To be clear, Sands isn’t saying McIlroy or any athlete owes the media anything. Not directly, anyway. And maybe that’s a fair distinction. As Sands pointed out, saying it out loud probably doesn’t help, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
“The media just happens to be the conduit between the athlete and the audience, whether it’s sponsors or whether it’s fans,” said Sands. “And I think players need to get out of the realm of thinking, ‘We owe the media something.’ ‘We owe the fans and sponsors something.’ The media is just the outlet between the two parties.'”
That’s the tightrope McIlroy’s walking now. You don’t have to like the media. You don’t even have to trust them. But when you go silent, you’re not just freezing them out; you’re shutting out the people who care the most. And for someone as talented, as eloquent, and as influential as Rory McIlroy, that feels like a mistake.