I’ve defended Rory McIlroy a lot over the years.
He was put in a tough spot with the PGA Tour-LIV saga—even when he has taken 180-degree opinion turns on golf’s divide, I’ve generally accepted that the situation is complicated and his intentions are genuine (relative to his peers, at least). I appreciate that he has been willing to speak his mind and be honest with media.
Having said that, Rory has had a tough week at the Players Championship.
Things got off to an awkward start during his pre-tournament press conference. Rory, who is leading the charge with TGL, basically scoffed at the idea of watching YouTube golf.
“I’m not of that generation,” McIlroy said. “I’d much rather watch this golf tournament on Saturday and Sunday than watch YouTube golf.”
OK, that’s fine. McIlroy is trying to champion a totally unserious entertainment league that is borrowing a lot of concepts from YouTube golf, a platform that is probably growing the game more than Rory is at this point—but I respect that he likes pure competitive golf more.
If I were him, I would have thrown a little more support behind YouTube golf there. But it’s not a big deal.
Then McIlroy gave another uncomfortable but reasonable quote about how he would never play senior tour golf, saying “something has gone terribly wrong” if he’s still competing at that age.
Again, it’s fine. It’s a little weird Rory is giving such a strong quote about hit-and-giggle golf that wouldn’t happen for another 15 years. I’m not sure if he intended this, but it came off a little dismissive—like his golf is more transactional and business-like as opposed to a passion he is following.
Apparently he already knows he won’t be interested in playing fun golf at that age. I have no issue with that. It’s his life.
I just bring that up to show he was clearly in the mindset of letting things rip this week in Florida.
That is a good thing on the whole—but it crossed the line into a real embarrassment during Tuesday’s practice round.
The heckler heard ’round the world
On Tuesday afternoon, McIlroy was teeing off on the daunting 18th hole.
We’re talking about practice here (Allen Iverson voice), so the vibe is chill. McIlroy pulled his tee shot into the water. Not ideal, but it also didn’t count—it’s just a practice round.
This is where the story gets interesting. Standing near the tee was Luke Potter, a University of Texas golfer who had just won a nearby college tournament. Potter is not some random hack. He is the No. 60 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and has legitimate aspirations of playing professional golf.
Potter, standing next to one of his teammates, decided to heckle Rory.
“Just like the 2011 Masters,” Potter said, referencing McIlroy’s painful Sunday meltdown at Augusta.
It was loud enough for McIlroy to hear. And he was definitely offended enough to make a stand.
He walked toward Potter and his teammate, reached his arm across the rope line and said to Potter’s teammate, “Can I see your phone?”
Frozen in shock, the kid let McIlroy take his phone. And away Rory went with the phone.
The kids were escorted off property shortly after that. The phone was returned.
The incident was caught on video, so we have a great view of Rory stealing the phone—I mean, that is what I would call it in that moment, even if it was returned.
That video has now gone viral, even extending into some national news outlets.
Potter later apologized to McIlroy and Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. He has taken a lot of heat for heckling the world’s No. 2 golfer.
“Look, I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it,” Potter said.
Potter’s college coach, John Fields, told Golf.com that it was an embarrasing moment for his program.
“With regards to our University of Texas program, I mean it’s an embarrassing moment. It is particularly sensitive to me because our program is built on respect for the game, and I would tell you that we coach 18- to 22-year-olds on a normal basis and they don’t always make the right call, and that’s my responsibility as a coach and when they do make a mistake it’s a learning moment.”
For Rory’s part, he has avoided the situation since it happened. After being asked twice in his Thursday interview about taking the phone, McIlroy gave two non-answers and went on his way.
McIlroy is soft as hell
Two things are true at the same time here.
Given his position as an aspiring pro golfer, Potter probably shouldn’t have heckled McIlroy.
It wasn’t a smart move for someone in his position. Would he want to be heckled in a couple of years if he’s a Tour rookie? No. And I’m sure he regrets it.
But I’m looking at this more from Rory’s perspective.
You are a professional athlete who plays golf all over the world. You are 35 years old and have a kid.
You are lauded as a self-aware, well-read, mature person.
It’s baked into professional golf that people are going to say stupid things. These are entertainment events where alcohol is flowing. The entire point of professional golf is to be an interesting product that fans enjoy. Without that element, there is no PGA Tour.
Is it right that people heckle? No, and fans seem to get bolder every year with what they are willing to say. Golf is not played in a football stadium full of white noise where players can barely hear fans in the front row. There should be a baseline of decorum at a tournament.
The heckling isn’t good, but it’s also expected. This is a professional sporting event.
Rory has to be bigger than some young kid shouting a pretty mild heckle at him. This wasn’t even a barb that crossed the line as a personal insult—it’s just the equivalent of saying “you suck” to any professional athlete.
To me, this is a soft move. And I think if you look at Rory’s history, he’s not particularly evolved in the thick skin department.
Rory getting butt-hurt is exponentially more embarrassing than some kid who yelled a stupid comment to make his buddy laugh.
And then he has the opportunity to own up to his mistake after Thursday’s round. Instead, Rory gives a “next question” answer.
Scottie Scheffler literally got arrested for no reason and acted way cooler than this.
What do you think? Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: Rory McIlroy tees off on Thursday during the Players Championship. (GETTY IMAGES/Richard Heathcote)
James
8 months ago
Your calling Mcilroy soft, but your stance on upholding the standards, etiquette, decorum of our game is what is soft. I have no sympathy for Luke Potter, he should no better. This kind of behaviour is infecting the values of our game, there are too many people joining our sport without knowledge of the manner to which the sport is played. Im all for growing the game, increasing the fan base and getting more people playing our great sport but there has to be a line drawn in the sand as to what behaviour is tolerated on a golf course. This was evidenced at the most recent Ryder Cup in New York, absolutely deplorable behaviour, American fans and the PGA should be ashamed of themselves.