Rory McIlroy won his first Green Jacket and completed the historic career Grand Slam at The Masters on Sunday.
He became only the sixth man in golf to achieve the incredible feat and etched his name into the history books forever.
There was plenty of reaction to McIlroy’s victory, from current and former professionals to other sports stars and celebrities.
Four-time European Tour winner and Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley shared his thoughts on the magical moment soon after the result was confirmed.
Unfortunately, McGinley’s words didn’t have the desired impact, and he’s been heavily criticised on social media.
What Paul McGinley said after Rory McIlroy won The Masters
McGinley is a prominent golf pundit nowadays, and on Sunday evening, he appeared on Sky Sports Golf in the United Kingdom.
In summation of McIlroy’s famous victory at Augusta National, the Irishman said on live television: “The thing that resonates so much, let’s put aside the golf for Rory McIlroy. He might not be everybody’s cup of tea or everybody’s favourite. Certainly, there is a divided opinion, he does divide opinion a bit. But a lot of people were out there pulling for him.
“I think it was good for the game to have another Grand Slam champion. With all the stuff and noise around the game that hasn’t been positive the last couple of years, to have somebody else come along and complete the Grand Slam like Rory is great for golf.
“Then you throw the human element into it, and the human element is all about bounce back and resilience. The number of times this guy has been battered in the last 11 years where he’s let opportunities slip and to keep coming back. Today was a microcosm of all of those 11 years of falling down, getting back up, and just when you think he is going to do it, he falls down again. He did that four times today.
“That takes so much as a golfer, it takes so much energy and mental strength to do that and reset. I’m full of admiration for the human Rory McIlroy to show so much strength in what is a very, very difficult game – the game of golf.”
It’s fair to assume that McGinley, who knows McIlroy well, didn’t mean to come across as negative towards the Masters champion, except that’s how many people took him.
One viewer wrote on X: “The greatest moment in Irish golfing history (and possibly in all Irish sport) and we go over to Paul McGinley….”Well he’s not everybody’s cup of tea.”
Another added: “McGinley opening up with, ‘He’s not everyone’s cup of tea.’ A spectacularly misread of the moment.”
“What the hell is Paul McGinley talking about? He starts his analysis by saying Rory isn’t everyone’s cup of tea? Bizarre chat after what we’ve just witnessed,” a McIlroy fan commented.
McGinley clearly noticed the backlash and felt the need to make a statement on Monday.
Paul McGinley responds to criticism over Rory McIlroy comments
McGinley posted the following message on social media in response to the criticism: “Rory has been the most criticised golfer in the world over the past few years.
“Winning was a human story of redemption against that backdrop. I tried to eloquate that but it came out in a ham-fisted way yesterday. Nobody more happy than me to see him win and complete the Slam.”
Of course, McGinley didn’t need to mention that not everyone likes McIlroy for one reason or another. He probably should’ve stuck to the positives.
Yet, it’s easy to feel sorry for the 58-year-old when, clearly, he wasn’t trying to throw shade on McIlroy’s amazing achievement. But that’s social media in a nutshell.
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