Alan Shipnuck published a book titled Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar, but it certainly wasn’t without struggle. Long before Shipnuck completed the book, the world No. 2, Rory McIlroy, directed some heated words at the author. He believed the book would spark controversy, much like Shipnuck’s book on Phil Mickelson did. But there was another reason behind McIlroy’s unrest.

“Rory is used to having total control over his image and his public life. And he knew he’d not have control over this context. The book really begins with this confrontation at the driving range at the US Open last year,” the author said during his recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show. “And he tells me to F-off twice in front of a packed grandstand with NBC cameras everywhere.

“It was not a comfortable moment, but I’d gotten to his head because I was talking to everyone about everything.”

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Back at the 2025 US Open, McIlroy trashed Shipnuck for two reasons.

First, he believed that he’d end up in a situation similar to that of Phil Mickelson. And second, he didn’t want Shipnuck to make money off his name. But there’s a significant difference between Mickelson and McIlroy. 

“I waited for him two days later in the parking lot so we could have this discussion. I told him, ‘You don’t have to be afraid of this book. Like, the Phil Mickelson book was so controversial. It sent Phil on an exile. But you don’t have the demons that Phil does.’ Ultimately, I think it’s gonna be a feel-good story. If you can read it with an open mind, you can see that,” Shipnuck continued.

And that’s exactly what happened in the end.

Despite the initial friction, the relationship took a surprising turn during the Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year. After Shipnuck delivered a copy of the book to McIlroy’s manager, the five-time major winner made a point to publicly bury the hatchet. 

“Rory came into the press room, shook my hand, thanked me for the book in front of the press conference. It was kinda like a public burying of the hatchet,” Shipnuck said. “I think he probably has some remorse about the way he treated me at Okuma.

“And that Sunday night, just had a chance and encountered him in the parking lot. It was dark; the whole place was cleared out. And he told me he started reading the book, and it made him laugh. He liked it.”

But after writing Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar, and giving rise to controversy around Mickelson, why did Shipnuck decide to write about the 36-year-old?

Alan Shipnuck reveals the real reason behind writing about Rory McIlroy

“I don’t write the book for Rory. I write it for the golf fans. And that’s the audience that I care about, that I have a sort of sacred relationship with him. So, on a human level, it’s nice that he likes it. But I was never gonna write the book for him, and my role is to be brutally honest… I care much more about the people at home who are reading that I care about one golfer,” Shipnuck remarked.

At the age of 36, it might seem a tad early for a McIlroy biography to some, given that he may have another decade of elite golf ahead of him. But his last year’s Masters win was such an incredible story that Shipnuck’s publisher insisted he get typing real fast.

His aim was to provide a deeper look at McIlroy, a challenge he embraced as a biographer. The fans know McIlroy pretty well on the course. But Shipnuck’s job was to give the world a deeper understanding of the golfer’s journey. And given that he has long been known as the most fearless writer on the golf beat, he goes deep into McIlroy’s personal history at a time when the spotlight on the Northern Irish golfer has never been brighter. 

Thankfully, McIlroy eventually found the humor in his own story and dismissed Shipnuck as a threat. Now, it remains to be seen how the public responds to the book, originally published on March 31 this year.