‘I Want to Beat You’: After Being ‘Annoyed’ by Phil Mickelson, a Fired up Rory McIlroy Didn’t Hold Back From Throwing Criticism at Lefty in 2014

Apart from his majestic game, Phil Mickelson is also known for his amiable nature. While on the golf course, the Lefty is often spotted sharing a laugh and having moments of joy with fellow players. Walking down memory lane, he did something similar during the 2014 PGA Championship. However, unlike other players, it didn’t seem to go well with Rory McIlroy.

The Irish man won the championship. However, revisiting the final moments, one can recall that the tournament ended in controversy. McIlroy, playing twosome with Bernd Wiesberger, managed to have a two-shot lead on the 18th tee in the final round. Following the tee, an official went up to the pair, asking for permission to have the chasing group of Mickelson and Ricket Fowler play with them.

The proposal left the two groups in a severe misunderstanding. While Michelson believed the duo would hit their drives, McIlroy, on the other hand, understood they would all play in as a foursome.

Heading toward the end, McIlroy, eyeing his fourth major title, seemed to be in an intense space. However, on the other, Mickelson and Fowler seemed to enjoy their time. Even though the former World No. 1 went on to win the championship, the behavior of Mickelson and Fowler left him annoyed.

Rory McIlroy called out Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler for enjoying their time

Two years later, McIlroy indulged in a conversation with renowned journalist David Feherty. During the conversation, he revisited the 2014 PGA Championship, revealing the reason behind his frustration.

“I saw on the front nine that they started to fist bump each other and started to high-five each other, and that sort of annoyed me,” McIlroy started. “It’s like, you’re both trying to win a major championship, I know I would never do that in a major. I’m trying to beat you, I’m not going to start fist-bumping you and high-fiving you. I want to beat you.”

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Mickelson and Fowler enjoyed a gala time at the Valhalla Golf Club. However, their joyful attitude seemed to have paved the path of their own fall. Going ahead in the conversation, McIlroy opened up about how the buddy celebrations of Mickelson-Fowler fueled his win at the championship.

“I was on a mission,” the 4-time major championship winner asserted. “(What Phil and Rickie did) sort of annoyed me. So I had this thing in my head, I’m going to catch you and I’m going to beat you. Thankfully I was able to do it.”

Considering the aura of McIlroy, his words took no time to spread around in the golf world. Even though the golfing community expressed their opinions on the incident, Mickelson and Fowler pulled back from commenting on the same.

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8 years after the incident, the three continue to walk on their path to success. While Mickelson is now a LIV Golf player, McIlroy and Fowler continue to shine on the DP World and the PGA Tour.

What are your thoughts on McIlroy’s words? Do let us know in the comments below.