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It has been a few weeks since Rory McIlroy repeatedly denied media interactions following his driver incident at Quail Hollow. After competing at the first round of the 2025 US Open, the Northern Irishman has once again avoided the press. This has led him to fall under criticism from the fans.
Oakmont has already been the reason behind the frustration of a lot of pros, including the calm and composed Scottie Scheffler. The thick and penal roughs, fast greens and narrow fairways have left Rory McIlroy with a few disappointing strokes as well. The golfer has scored 4-over par 74 after the first 18 holes at Oakmont Country Club, Pennsylvania.
McIlroy's Round 1 scorecard has two birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. After finishing his play on Thursday, the PGA Tour pro did not interact with the media. Rory McIlroy's behavior has caught the eyes of netizens, and NUCLR Golf reported about the issue on X:
Trending
"❌🗣️ #NOT TALKING — Rory McIlroy declined media requests once again following his 1st round +4, 74 at the U.S. Open on Thursday..."
This incident did not sit well with fans. McIlroy has been under constant criticism for reportedly declining media requests and post-round interviews. A section of the fans questioned his mental toughness, while a multitude of them ended up trolling McIlroy.
"Princess Rory," an X-user commented.
"Whatever. He's a poor loser," someone else said.
"Well that’s Rory McFlipilroy," someone else wrote below.
"He’s such a little bi**h leprechaun," a fan heavily criticised McIlroy.
"again 😶," another one wrote.
"Tw*t like behavior", somebody said.
Although McIlroy initially declined media interactions following the 2025 PGA Championship, the golfer had an explanation for his behavior.
Exploring what Rory McIlroy said after denying media interactions at Quail Hollow
Rory McIlroy was coming off a fresh green jacket win before he stepped up at Quail Hollow. However, a pre-round golf equipment check from the USGA deemed his primary driver non-conforming, and the news got leaked quickly.
This was an intense blow to the career grand slam winner's PGA Championship momentum, and Rory McIlroy spent weeks ignoring media interactions. Almost weeks later, at the RBC Canadian Open, he opened up about the issue, quoted by ASAP Sports:
"I just didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted at the time... I talk to the media a lot. I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street..."
The 36-year-old golfer from Hollywood also explained that it's not mandatory to face the media every time. He said:
"If they want to make it mandatory, that's fine, but in our rules it says that it's not, and until the day that that's maybe written into the regulations, you're going to have guys skip from time to time, and that's well within our rights."
In the second round of the 2025 US Open, McIlroy will be teeing off from Hole 1 around 1.25 pm EST. The golfer is paired with Shane Lowry and Justin Rose.
