The curious case of Rory McIlroy continues to get more and more bizarre by the week.
After McIlroy won The Masters in April, he was being lauded as the best and most popular player of his generation.
How quickly things have changed though. Just two months after his success at Augusta National, the Northern Irishman is now receiving huge criticism for his actions.
McIlroy hadn’t spoken to the media for six successive rounds at major championships, but he finally broke that media blackout after day three of the US Open at Oakmont.
Before the PGA Championship last month, McIlroy’s driver was deemed to be non-conforming, and that proved to be the architect of his recent downfall.
There is a real argument to be made that the Masters champion has brought all of his current problems on himself.
On Saturday afternoon, Brandel Chamblee criticised McIlroy’s actions at Oakmont, but the 35-year-old did speak to the media after his third round.
Rory McIlroy makes admission about potentially missing the cut at the US Open
Something is clearly not right with McIlroy right now.
How he has acted over the past month really isn’t becoming of him.
He has had an air of arrogance around him since the PGA, and now his latest comments should cause real concern for his fans.
McIlroy responded when asked if he was proud of his fight-back on day two at Oakmont, after it looked like he was set to miss the cut.
He said, “Yeah, it’s funny, like it’s much easier being on the cut line when you don’t really care if you’re here for the weekend or not. (Laughing.) I was sort of thinking, do I really want two more days here or not. So it makes it easier to play better when you’re in that mindset.“
Then he replied when asked whether he has felt that way on the golf course before.
McIlroy said, “I’ve certainly experienced times where I haven’t played the way I’ve wanted to. So, yeah, like it’s not — I actually feel like I’ve played okay this week. It’s a sort of golf course where the tiniest mistakes get penalized a lot and that’s sort of how it’s felt this week.“
What bizarre comments they are. It is clear as day that McIlroy has zero motivation to compete right now.
And that’s incredibly sad more than anything else.
McIlroy has to regroup and set new goals
The Northern Irishman needs the fire back in his belly.
He desperately needs a reason to get out of bed and practice harder than he ever did before.
Sure, the 35-year-old achieved his lifetime goal of completing the Grand Slam, but why not set a new goal of completing it for a second time?
If he has lost all motivation, he either needs to get it back as soon as possible or give up trying entirely.
He’s going through the motions right now, and that has to change.
McIlroy is clearly not happy right now, and only he can change that.
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