Rory McIlroy has revealed that he unintentionally snubbed Tiger Woods over the last month after his rough finish to the US Open, where he bogeyed three of the last four shots to surrender a late lead.
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman briefly held a two-shot advantage over his rivals with five holes to play at Pinehurst in June, before missing from 2-ft-6-inches on the 16th and 3-ft-9-inches on the last to finish a shot behind Bryson Dechambeau.
He said earlier this week that Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal had been among the sports stars to send him messages of support, with Woods doing likewise.
‘Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the US Open, so I didn’t get it until he told me today,’ McIlroy added. ‘I was like, ”Oh, thanks very much!” So, I blanked Tiger Woods which is probably not a great thing…’
Ahead of the 152nd Open Championship, Woods told reporters that he bid his time to reach out to McIlroy, one of the few selected golfers he’s close with on the PGA Tour, after the four-time major winner’s collapse and marital problems last month.
Rory McIlroy was all smiles while speaking to reporters in Scotland before teeing off on Thurs.
Close pal Tiger Woods shared words of encouragement to McIlroy after his US Open collapse
‘I just sent him a nice text,’ the 48-year-old Woods said. ”I waited a week before I sent it. I wanted to let it calm down.
‘I know he was being besieged by a lot of different things going on, and just let it cool down for a week.’
Asked what he had said in the message, Woods revealed: ‘Just basically, as you know, I’m your friend. I know this is a difficult moment.
‘We’ve all been there as champions. We all lose. Unfortunately, it just happened and the raw emotion of it, it’s still there and it’s going to be there for, I’m sure, some time.
‘The faster he’s able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week (in the Scottish Open), the better it is for him.’
McIlroy bogeyed three of the last four shots to surrender a late lead to Bryson Dechambeau
Woods (L) and McIlroy (R) have won 19 majors combined though neither has won since 2019
McIlroy admitted he felt uncomfortable over his par putt on the 16th, a feeling even a 15-time major winner like Woods could empathize with.
‘Yes, absolutely. Nervous, shaky, uncomfortable, yeah, all of it,’ Woods said. ‘That’s part of it. That’s why you love it. That’s why we practice, to build up ourselves in that one uncomfortable situation and bury it.
‘I’ve missed plenty of putts. I’ve missed plenty of shots. Just like Jordan… you see all the game-winning shots, but also he’s missed a ton of game-winning shots too.
‘The thing is you still take the game-winning shot and I still want the last putt.’
McIlroy has a solid track record in Scotland, finishing in five top-six finishes in seven outings
McIlroy will look to put his latest major near miss behind him when he tees off in the Open at Royal Troon on Thursday morning.
He will continue his quest for a first major victory in a decade at 10.09am alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton and American Max Homa.
McIlroy won the last of his four majors at the 2014 US PGA Championship, a month after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool and since then his record at the Open has brought five top-six finishes in seven outings.
