As 2024 comes to a close, SI Golf’s writers and editors reflect on the year’s craziest stories.
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After the inception of LIV Golf in 2022, Rory McIlroy didn’t mind being the de facto spokesperson for the PGA Tour.
A year later, though, he began to sidestep that narrative.
Following the “framework agreement” announcement on June 6, 2023, McIlroy said he felt like a “sacrificial lamb.” Looking to focus solely on golf again, he later resigned from the Tour's Player Advisory Council.
On the course, the burden of trying to end his major championship winless drought, which dates to the 2014 PGA Championship, has taken a toll.
In this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst, the four-time major winner appeared on the brink of knocking that weight off his shoulders. Then, heartbreak happened. McIlroy was leading on the back nine Sunday, but missed a two-and-a-half footer for par on No. 16 and a 4-footer for par on 18 to finish runner-up by one to Bryson DeChambeau. It’s arguably the most devastating loss of his career.
Almost as shocking was what followed.
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman declined questions from reporters, quickly left in his courtesy car and was in the air one hour after the tournament ended. Rapidly getting out of Dodge not only prolonged the narrative of McIlroy's defeat, but he received significant criticism for how he handled it.
“(McIlroy’s) a thinker and he answers things thoughtfully,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said on SportsCenter that night. “He’s also a great champion. And today, understandably, a bitter pill. ... How it got away on this Sunday and the fact that he walked away without speaking about it will both be remembered.”
McIlroy issued a statement the next day, calling that Sunday “probably the toughest” day of his career.
The next time the golf world saw him was at July’s Scottish Open. There, he addressed his actions after the U.S. Open, saying, “There's nothing that I could have said that was—not that—I mean, it would have been good because you guys would have been able to write something about it or have a few quotes from me. No offense, you guys were the least of my worries at that point.”
Bob Harig: Rory has been very good to the media over the years, typically detailing the bad with the good. He’s allowed a pass on this. Sure, it would have been better if he had stuck around, congratulated DeChambeau, and taken five minutes in the car park to answer a few questions. But nobody was hurting for content that day. McIlroy’s hasty exit provided plenty of fodder. So did DeChambeau’s incredible finish, not to mention the ups and downs both players experienced over the closing nine holes. It was a wild day. When he did speak about it, he gave a blunt, honest answer.
Jeff Ritter: I’m certain that if Rory could have a do-over on his post-round behavior … he would transfer that do-over to those putts on 16 and 18.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Golf’s Most Shocking Stories of 2024: Two Short Misses Doom Rory McIlroy at U.S. Open.
