“I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah,” is what Rory McIlroy believes, but many disagree. The 2025 Masters champion’s recent antics have been a wild ride – think tantrums on the course and press conferences that are more like verbal sparring matches. McIlroy’s got a point, though: after conquering the golf world, maybe he’s just trying to figure out what’s next. As he puts it, “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.”

Still, with his media interactions getting frostier by the day, the golf world is collectively raising an eyebrow, wondering what’s really going on with this golfing genius. And with the $20 million Travelers Championship on the horizon, this golf insider has some points for the latest grand slam winner.

In the latest Dan Patrick Show, NBC’s Steve Sands shared his thoughts on McIlroy’s media presence or lack thereof. Sands believes McIlroy is still simmering about the PGA Championship controversy, where the USGA and PGA of America “basically threw him under the bus” by leaking that his driver had to be taken away. As Sands pointed out, “He didn’t like the way the media handled that.” Indeed, he didn’t.

After the non-conforming news was made public, Rory McIlroy expressed frustration, saying, “I was pi***d off that news of my driver inspection was leaked by two media members.” He added, “I didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted.” McIlroy felt that his name being leaked while others, like Scottie Scheffler, who also failed the test, were not mentioned, was unfair.

And even after all that, Sands thinks McIlroy’s absence from the media spotlight is a misstep, especially given his impressive track record of handling the press.  “As much as I love Rory, I think you have to be professional and you have to speak when you win and when you lose,” Sands said, drawing inspiration from golf’s Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus.

“Jack Nicklaus was the champion in the sport, Dan. He was also the greatest loser in the sport.” And there is no lie in that. Nicklaus has had some of the biggest losses on the course, including the heartbreak at the 1964 Masters, where he lost the major to Arnold Palmer by a whopping six shots.  But even after such setbacks, the legend always made time for the little things that matter.

As Nicklaus puts it himself, “And whether I played well or whether I played poorly, if you still want to talk to me, I’ll talk to you. And I always have.” Sands urges McIlroy to take a chapter out of Nicklaus’s book and take control of the narrative, saying, “You don’t want them directing the narrative. You should direct the narrative. I think he’s making a mistake. And I hope he gets back and starts to do what he normally does.”

And while many hope for the same thing, there are a few people in the golf world who seem to understand the Northern Irishman.

Rory McIlroy has got Paige Spiranac’s support

The 2025 U.S. Open wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for McIlroy, who battled through frustration and tantrums on the course, tossing clubs and smashing tee markers. But what really sparked conversation was his near-total silence off the course, avoiding interviews for most of the week. McIlroy finally addressed the media on Saturday, making it clear his silence was intentional — a response to the media’s role in leaking details about his driver’s non-conforming status at the PGA Championship.

Paige Spiranac came to his defense, posting on X, “Might be an unpopular opinion here but he doesn’t have to talk to the media if he doesn’t want to. It’s not required… There is clearly something more going on none of us are privy to so maybe let’s not all pile on.”

It’s not just Spiranac who’s been sympathetic to McIlroy’s plight. Paul McGinley also chimed in, expressing his disappointment with the golfer’s media interactions and suggesting that something’s eating at McIlroy, saying, “Something is eating at him. He hasn’t let us know what it is, but there’s something not right.” With McIlroy’s recent struggles and strained media interactions, it’s hard not to wonder: Is Rory McIlroy okay? Share your thoughts on the matter in the comment section below!