While Rory McIlroy deserves credit for forcing his way into the top 20 at the US Open, some of his actions while not swinging a golf club at Oakmont managed to somewhat overshadow his performance at the third major of the year.
Rory McIlroy had an interesting week at the US Open, to say the least. The Northern Irishman had gone into the tournament off the back of missing the cut at the Canadian Open.
He seemed prickly in his press conference before the tournament, and he decided to not speak to the media after his rounds on Thursday or Friday.
When McIlroy did end his boycott on Saturday, the 36-year-old came across as incredibly petulant. McIlroy admitted to having a problem with the media, while he suggested that he felt that he had earned the right to do whatever he wanted.
Harry Hall comments on players not speaking to the media after Rory McIlroy snubbed the press at the US Open
It was a real shame to hear McIlroy speak that way. Brandel Chamblee insisted that golf needs to put its arm around McIlroy, given that he does not appear to have been himself since winning The Masters in April.
There has been plenty of criticism of the players who decide to not speak to the media. And it seems that some of his peers on the PGA Tour are also a little confused.
Speaking about players not talking to the media after his final round at Travelers Championship, Harry Hall suggested that he does not get the frustration of some of the star names.
“That’s a good question. I can’t speak for the best in the world because I’m not there yet, and I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure just by being in the media all the time and everybody knowing who you are. I don’t understand all the friction. So, yeah, maybe I will understand it if I’m one of the best in the world one day and it gets a little bit too much. But from a guy looking in that loves to play golf, loves to play this game for a living, and if this is part of the job, which I believe it is, then I think it’s our job to do this,” he said.
“Growing up it was always a dream to play on the PGA Tour, and to have an interview afterwards, it means that you played great,” he went on to add. “I think the best in the world, they obviously have an interview afterwards if they play poorly. I never looked at it like that. I only have an interview because I played great today. You’re not interviewing me because I just shot an 80, because I’m not one of the best in the world, maybe it would be a little bit different. I always grew up looking forward to playing great golf, playing in front of people, and if I had an interview it was probably because I was in a great mindset and I just played great. So, yeah, I can’t speak for those guys that are having a little bit of trouble, but yeah, I don’t understand it.”
How Harry Hall has performed on the PGA Tour in 2025
It proved to be a really good week for Hall. He began the tournament in 56th in the FedEx Cup standings, but a top 10 finish at TPC River Highlands looks set to move him inside the top 50.
That is particularly important with the playoffs not too far away now. Meanwhile, he is set to register his fourth top 10 finish of the season on the PGA Tour.
It is hard to imagine that Hall will be in the thinking of Luke Donald ahead of September’s Ryder Cup. He began the week in 29th in the European qualification standings, and is not currently set to be in the field for The Open Championship.
But he has given himself a fantastic chance to become a regular in the signature events moving forward. From there, he can set his sights on closing that gap to the biggest names.
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