Rory McIlroy says he skipped the media rounds at the PGA Championship to protect Scottie Scheffler, among others, but did he really?  “I’m trying to protect Scottie. I don’t want to mention his name. I’m trying to protect TaylorMade. I’m trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself.” However, his silence seemed more rooted in frustration over leaked testing results and logistical issues. McIlroy believes players will opt out of media interactions until they’re mandatory, saying, “If they want to make it mandatory, that’s fine…that’s well within our rights.” Well, his behavior toward the media has been a topic of concern for a while, and now the top golf insiders are not shying away from calling him out.

Speaking on the latest episode of Golf Channel on YouTube, Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner reflected on Rory McIlroy’s decision to skip media appearances for all four rounds at the PGA Championship. McIlroy’s rationale for this decision was largely driven by logistics, citing reasons such as wanting to practice after a poor round, finishing late, and prioritizing family time. However, this behavior has sparked concerns about setting a precedent for other players. As Hoggard noted, “When you have a player of Rory McIlroy’s stature that skips all four days, it’s not great, but the bigger issue here is it sets a standard for every other player on the PGA Tour.” Hoggard added, “That is disturbing. That’s concerning for all of us in the media.”

Well, it is sort of true. McIlroy has supported other players when they have been negligent toward the media. Earlier this year, he backed Collin Morikawa after Morikawa said he “doesn’t owe anyone anything” for skipping media appearances, although McIlroy noted Morikawa could’ve worded it better. McIlroy agreed with Morikawa’s stance, saying, “Well, he’s right…as long as that’s not the case and we have that option to opt out whenever we want, expect guys to do that from time to time.”

McIlroy believes that the relationship between golfers and the media should be a “two-way street,” where players can connect with fans directly through social media. He stated, “If PGA Tour players wanted to, they could completely bypass any and all media that were there on site to cover it and just go onto their phones and record a 90-second video…and post it on Instagram or Twitter.” McIlroy understands the obligation to the media and sponsors but believes that a more flexible approach is needed. The host noted, “Until there is something concrete, until there is something mandatory in the PGA Tour regulations, this is just going to be the way of life on the PGA Tour and the media who cover it.”

The lack of a mandatory media policy can set a precedent for other players, and it’s a topic of ongoing discussion in the golf world. As Hoggard said, “I tend to agree with some of the folks at the PGA Tour who I’ve discussed this with, that would be counterproductive.” With McIlroy’s behavior setting a potentially disturbing standard, it’s clear that this issue will continue to be debated. But McIlroy’s first and foremost concern will not be how the world perceives him as an athlete, but how to fix his game, his leaky driver, and a recalcitrant putter.

Rory McIlroy reflects on his shaky performance

McIlroy shot 71-78 and lost over 10 strokes to the field, which is the second-worst mark of his career. This is a significant departure from his stellar season, where he hadn’t finished outside the top 20 till the PGA Championship (T47). Now another missed cut before the US Open is not going to augur well for the five-time major champ. The Ulsterman made a quadruple bogey eight on the par-4 fifth.

Speaking to the media after the round, Rory McIlroy, said, “I think there’s still learnings that you have to take from a day like today. I still—look, even though the last two days didn’t go the way I wanted them to, there’s still things that I can take from it, and there’s still things that I can learn.” McIlroy lost 2.18 strokes off the tee, 4.53 strokes in approach, and 2.174 strokes in putting. He reached only 13 of the 28 fairways, only half of the 36 greens in regulation.

The Ulsterman added, “Yeah, I’m going to have to do a lot of practice and a lot of work over the weekend at home and try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week.”

After the PGA Championship, he also changed his equipment. None of that worked in Toronto. So, the Northern Irishman has his job cut out. He needs to find his mojo back, and if that means hitting 500 shots on the range, McIlroy is not going to back off. After all, he is also the man who shut himself inside a golf simulator to fix his swing.