Is Rory McIlroy at war with the media? If you’re looking at his recent media interactions and his comments, then the answer to that is likely “yes.” After skipping media duties on Thursday for the 2025 Masters, McIlroy continued to skip media engagements at the 2025 PGA Championship as well. He had missed media interactions for all four rounds at Quail Hollow, which he continued in a copy-and-paste fashion at the 2025 U.S. Open, but only on the first two days. On Saturday, at Oakmont, he finally addressed the media to express his “frustration” and said, “I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah.” This behavior sparked a lot of debate in the golf community, where even comparisons were drawn with Greg Norman. As evident in the latest episode of GOLF’s Subpar.
Greg Norman is considered something akin to a “black sheep” in the golf world for his association with LIV Golf and his failure to fulfill promises made to LIV players (the OWGR points, people). However, the White Shark has created a distinct personality when it comes to one thing: his graciousness in defeat. Take, for instance, his 1996 Master’s collapse. After shrugging off the nightmarish day, he talked to the media and then turned to his friends and said, “Thank you for coming. Let’s move on. And let’s party!”
On the latest episode of GOLF’s Subpar, Hughes Norton, Greg Norman’s previous “superagent,” said of this behavior, “Give the guy high marks for that. He faced the music, the most painful of which, of course, was Augusta, which of all majors, even though he won the Open Championship twice, he wanted to win more than any other.”
Well, for Norman, everything about the 1996 Masters was something akin to a “nightmare.” After scoring 63 on opening day, Norman built a six-shot lead through the next three rounds. Then came Sunday, wherein Norman stood against another legend, Nick Faldo. And then came the disaster: a series of bogeys on 9, 10, 11, and then a double bogey on hole 12, reducing his lead to two strokes. He still had a chance, but he unfortunately shot another double bogey on 16, finally ending his chances against Faldo, who went on to win his third Green Jacket. Talk about a horrible day!
Now, almost thirty years since that devastating Greg Norman defeat, Norton continues, “how crushing and devastating that loss was. He was right in there, you know, front and center in the press room, and, uh, answering every question. And the mark of a great sportsman: sorry, you got to face the music when things don’t go your way, and not just when, you know, you win the championship.”
And that’s the thing: Greg Norman “did face the music.” Having finished another Augusta National run so close to his first Masters win, no one would’ve blamed the Great White Shark if he had avoided any questions from the media. But, he braved each and every question and, famously, said after his final round on Sunday: “I just didn’t win today. I’m not a loser.”
That does not mean he was not heartbroken. He looked back at his collapse and further added, “I don’t know what happened.” At that point, Greg Norman had already achieved his two major wins (1986 and 1993) at the Open and several runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. He had the right to move and rush out of the course. Instead of doing that, when asked how he managed not to dwell on the Masters loss, he replied, “Just watch.”
Maybe we need to “just watch” Rory McIlroy’s moves following his controversial media altercation? After all, even Brandel Chamblee believes the media needs to give the Northern Irishman some space.
Brandel Chamblee says the media needs to give Rory McIlroy “a little grace”
In a recent interview with Sky Sports Golf, Brandel Chamblee praised Rory McIlroy as “the best friend that golf has had over the last decade,” highlighting his thoughtful nature in the media center. This sentiment was most evident during the 2021 U.S. Open when McIlroy’s poor shot at the 13th hole drew cheers of support from the fans. Aside from that, McIlroy has often addressed the media and fans when discussing the merger talks, for instance.
Regarding the PGA Tour and LIV merger, he addressed the media and the fans in February and said: “I don’t think it’s ever felt that close, but I don’t, it doesn’t feel like it’s any closer.” Sure, we didn’t get an answer to the question: where is the merger talk at? But we knew there was someone at the Tour who wouldn’t shy away from discussing these situations. So, that begs the question: is something bothering Rory McIlroy now?
After kissing his first Masters win, McIlroy said of his goal in the future: “I climbed my Everest in April. I think after you do something like that, you’ve got to make your way back down, and you’ve got to look for another mountain to climb.” Does that mean that the “golf’s best friend” needs some time to get back in tune? Likely.
That is exactly what Chamblee tried to understand about this behavior, and suggested that Rory McIlroy deserves space to navigate his feelings. He stated, “Let’s extend a little grace and understand that people are human and they’re going through things,” recognizing that McIlroy’s edginess may stem from personal struggles. Well, now that’s something only Rory McIlroy can clarify.
