Sky Sports pundit Sophie Walker has suggested what must not be forgotten about Rory McIlroy after the Northern Irishman endured an agonising end to the US Open at the weekend.
It would not be a surprise if Rory McIlroy was still struggling to come to terms with just how exactly he failed to win the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
At one stage on the back nine on Sunday, McIlroy led by two over Bryson DeChambeau. But missed short putts on 16 and 18 opened the door for DeChambeau to win by one with an amazing par on his final hole.
McIlroy was absolutely crestfallen as DeChambeau holed the winning putt. And it turned out that McIlroy left the course immediately after, with DeChambeau surprised the 35-year-old did not stick around to congratulate him.
What must not be forgotten about Rory McIlroy after US Open drama
It was not the best look from the four-time major champion to walk away when he did, but it was also very understandable that he found the whole occasion too much.
It was announced just before the PGA Championship that McIlroy was going through a divorce, and while that is no longer the case, Walker told the Sky Sports Golf Podcast that what McIlroy is going through in his personal life must not be overlooked when people discuss his reaction to losing on Sunday.
“This hurts beyond for him, the spiral that happens. I mean, this guy, he’s not missed a putt inside three feet 500 times out of 500 times pretty much. The head got in the way of him there, maybe that thought: this is going to happen. We talk about it over and over again, he thinks about it probably every second of every day,” he said.
“He would give back any LIV money that somebody wants to offer Rory McIlroy, he’d give all of that to get a major, that’s how much he wants it, more than anything he wants in the world. The fact that when he finishes, that camera was on him when Bryson holed that putt, we all felt it, the head goes down and he just leaves, and I don’t blame him for not going to interview there.
“That’s what I actually love about Rory McIlroy, the reaction that we get from him, the rollercoaster ride. He doesn’t always do everything right, he doesn’t always hit the shots when he needs to, but boy, he’s got so much talent that he’s incredibly relatable.
“The other thing that we’ve got to have in our minds is obviously what’s gone on off the course, he’s probably not going to go back to a home, it’s Father’s Day, I know they’re not getting divorced, it’s just not an easy position for somebody that’s had a bad day at work, but for him, it’s a monumental 10 years of anguish. That’s a lot to take on as well.”
Hopefully Northern Irishman has the support he needs
McIlroy has now confirmed on social media that he is going to take a break ahead of the Scottish Open and The Open Championship next month, while Shane Lowry has spoken out in support of his friend.
Some will unfortunately take some joy in seeing how broken McIlroy was by what transpired on Sunday, but it does appear that the very large majority of golf fans have nothing but the utmost sympathy for the 35-year-old.
Obviously, it is just a golf tournament, but golf recently received the most painful of reminders that few know exactly what someone is going through away from the golf course.
Hopefully therefore, McIlroy feels that he has the support he needs on and off the golf course after what has clearly been an incredibly trying time.
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