Paul McGinley made a blunt assessment of Rory McIlroy.
On Golf Channel’s Live From the U.S. Open after the third round, the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain discussed McIlroy’s contentious media scrum Saturday at Oakmont and believes the Northern Irishman didn’t handle his emotions properly.
“I didn’t enjoy them,” McGinley said. “I don’t like to see that. I think Rory’s better than that. Either not talking to the media or giving a press conference like that doesn’t serve him fairly or rightly for the person that he is.
“He looks fed up to me. He looks like he’s had enough of everything. Whether it was the emotional release of everything that’s gone on in his career, I don’t know, but he’s not himself.”
After winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy admitted earlier this week he’s “not sure” what his career goals are now. In addition, tension with the media has been brewing since the PGA Championship, where he didn’t speak to the press following each round after his driver was ruled non-conforming. That news was leaked by SiriusXM PGA Tour radio.
McIlroy met the scribes at Oakmont after a third-round 74 that left him at 10 over par. Asked about why he has been sidestepping questions, the five-time major champion admitted, “It’s more frustration with you guys. When asked in what way, he said, “I don’t know ... I have been totally available for the last few years and I’m not saying… maybe not you guys, but maybe more just the whole thing.”
After declining media after his first two rounds, Rory McIlroy spoke after his third round at the U.S. Open.
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) June 14, 2025
Here's the full interview, for those interested. Touches on his "pretty average" play, feeling "a little flat," and thoughts on media obligations. pic.twitter.com/ICgqAYnQON
McIlroy has been considered a media darling for much of his career, but something has changed since his triumph in Augusta.
“This is not normal, when (McIlroy) does that,” said McGinley, a 58-year-old Irishman. “Because people look up to him, a conference like that with his body language and short language doesn’t serve him right.”
Notah Begay III, however, wasn’t as harsh about McIlroy on the Live From desk.
“I give him a little bit of a pass with the career Grand Slam,” Begay III said. “Now he’s just trying to figure out, ‘What are my goals now?’ For a decade, it was, ‘I need to win the Masters.’ What does he want his new set of goals to be to make his mark on the game?”
But McGinley, who seemingly has always been in McIlroy’s corner, wants to see a change in the world No. 2’s attitude.
“I don’t like to see it,” he said. “I’m disappointed for Rory that it’s come to that. Something is eating at him. He hasn’t let us know what it is, but there’s something that’s not right.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘He’s Not Himself’: Paul McGinley Disappointed in Rory McIlroy Amid Media Feud.
