It was the par-5, 17th hole on day 2 at Castle Pines Rock Club. Rory McIlroy had taken a 3-wood off the bag for his tee shot. However, the ball didn’t go as he intended it to but went straight into the rough. Well, his response was anything but calm as the golfer lightly tossed his 3-wood into the tee box and it went into the pond near the teeing area. Interestingly, while his explosive outburst did turn many heads, it also received the support of a certain PGA Tour pro. Cue Wyndham Clark’s entry into the picture.
Clark, meanwhile, knows what it means to receive a lot of backlash. The golfer has been at the receiving end of such outbursts many times this season on the PGA Tour (remember the fans wanting a certain LIV golfer instead of him at the 2024 Olympics?). Even so, that didn’t stop him from exuding support for McIlroy when asked about the latter’s reaction in an interview following round 2 of the 2024 BMW Championship. “Yeah, I think there’s videos of it,” replied the golfer as he sympathized with the Northern Irishman. “I’ve done it many times.”
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Do you think Rory McIlroy’s outburst was justified?
Maybe, but he should control his temper
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Do you think Lydia Ko’s husband Jun Chung made the ultimate sacrifice for her career?
He should focus on his own career
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PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf fatigue
General disinterest in golf
The 30-year-old had been paired with the 4-time major champ in the Friday round of the FedEx Cup playoff event. Consequently, the golfer was also queried about whether pairing up with McIlroy had been a good thing for him. His response? “Yeah,” replied Clark confidently as he also recounted the number of times the two were paired together, “I mean, Rory and I have probably played I’d say a total of 14, 15 rounds together.”
“Rory is a nice guy,” indicated the 2023 U.S. Open champ as he confessed how he himself usually talks to his playing partners. “It helps me get into a better place,” admitted Clark as he recalled his interaction with the 35-year-old. “So I guess if that’s the case, we struck up some good conversations, had some good laughs. It kind of just makes the day a little bit more enjoyable and go by quicker”
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On one hand, Rory McIlroy would have been having a bad day owing to his gameplay on Friday, which included 2 bogeys and just 3 birdies. Moreover, the Northern Irishman had just carded a bogey on the par-3, 16th, before making his way to the tee box, where he made the unfortunate shot. Although he did make a par on the 17th, his angry reaction was what remained in the people’s minds, drawing criticism from many!
Not the first time Rory McIlroy has received backlash from fans
It’s not the first time the 26-time PGA Tour champ has raked in criticism from the fans in the community for something he did. The golfer raked in many such angry responses from fans following his 2024 U.S. Open choke on Sunday after he left Pinehurst No. 2 emotionally without giving any interview. His subsequent WD from the Travelers Championship also failed to impress the golf world.
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That’s not all. He was even faced with the anger of many fans on the internet following his frustrated X-rated outcry at the 2024 Paris Olympics. McIlroy had expressed the same after failing to hit a shot the way he wanted it to (deja vu?) during the second round of the quadrennial event. Coming back to the present, although he didn’t yell out any profanities this time around, the 3-woods sure did get the shorter end of the deal.
Placed at T15 after the second round at the 2024 BMW Championship with a 3-under overall, owing to his figures of 70-71, the pro will surely look to climb the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy can only, meanwhile, hope to find a supporting playing partner like Wyndham Clark in Sam Burns as he tees off at 12:10 p.m. EDT on August 24!
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