Golf Channel writer Ryan Lavner has admitted that he found how Rory McIlroy reacted to losing the Dubai Invitational to Tommy Fleetwood last Sunday really strange.
Rory McIlroy stood on the 18th tee at Dubai Creek Resort one shot clear of his playing partner and Ryder Cup teammate.
However, the Northern Irishman hooked his drive into the water. Fleetwood meanwhile, found himself in a perfect position to attack the pin with his second shot.
McIlroy had a long par putt which he was unable to make. And that presented Fleetwood with the chance to win as he stood over his birdie putt. The Englishman made no mistake, securing his first win in just over a year.
Rory McIlroy questioned after losing Dubai Invitational to Tommy Fleetwood
McIlroy took the disappointment with a lot of class. As he went to knock his bogey putt in, he acknowledged Fleetwood’s birdie with a fist bump. And he had his arm around the 32-year-old as they left the green.
It seems that his actions did not entirely sit right with Lavner however. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, the writer suggested that he was baffled by some of the four-time major champion’s behaviour over the tournament.
“I was definitely struck by Rory’s demeanour and how he acted during what became a final round loss. Rory almost always shows up sharp for his first event of the new year. He’s the defending champion this week at the Dubai Desert Classic. His record in what is typically his first event is outstanding. He always comes ready to play. And yet, he seemed to have this built-in excuse of it’s going to be sloppy. ‘I’m staying on site this week because I want to knock some rust off my game and get my game sharp for the rest of this season’,” he said.
“He didn’t have the past two months to be saddled with nine or 10 hour board meetings. This was supposed to be the new Rory in 2024 where he’s hungry, he’s focused, he’s not distracted by this off course stuff. And he seemed to have his built-in excuse already. He was plenty sharp. He finished top 10 in every major statistical category for this tournament. And yet, some of his mistakes were really sloppy.
“Some were physical obviously, like the hook into the water on 18. But some of them were mental as well, just pure lapses of concentration, whether it was hitting an iron into the water on the front nine on Sunday, he made a quad in the second round – actually did well to rally just to take the halfway lead – the three putt from two or three feet on the 14th hole.
“Those were all curious. And added up to a bizarre scene, which kind of speaks to the stature of the event where he’s fist bumping Tommy Fleetwood, he’s hugging Tommy Fleetwood, he’s walking off the 18th green as gracious as he could possibly be after losing the golf tournament with his arms slung around Tommy Fleetwood. I get that they’re friends, but it was a very strange reaction to losing the golf tournament.”
Northern Irishman often prepared to acknowledge rival’s class
McIlroy and Fleetwood are good friends, having played together at last year’s Ryder Cup. But Sunday was not the first time he made an effort to acknowledge the brilliance of a rival.
Few will forget his sensational match against Patrick Reed during the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. And the most incredible moment came on the sixth when they both made monster birdie putts to halve the hole. McIlroy made sure to hang on behind the green an extra second to praise the American.
No-one doubts what the Ryder Cup means to McIlroy. So the fact he was prepared to share that moment with his opponent would suggest that how he reacted to Fleetwood’s win on Sunday was not that out of character.
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