Tiger Woods' ex-coach backs Rory McIlroy for having 'no obligation' for media interaction at events

Tiger Woods' ex-coach Hank Haney reacted to Rory McIlroy declining the media's request for an interview at the 2025 US Open. The Northern Irish golfer was the runner-up at the US Open in 2024, but had a tough start in the 2025 edition of the event.

After two rounds, he settled in a tie for 45th place. Rory McIlroy has reportedly declined the media request for an interview after his first round at the Major. Nuclr Golf shared the news on its X (formerly Twitter) account, writing:

"McIlroy has made it clear recently that he feels no obligation to speak if he doesn’t want to. @TrackingRory"

Tiger Woods' ex-coach Hank Haney reacted to it by resharing it on his social media handle. He wrote:

"He’s an independent contractor"

Rory McIlroy even missed the press conference at the 2024 US Open after he fumbled in the final round of the Major. Despite being in contention for the title, he settled for second place last year.

However, 2025 has been a pretty decent year for the Northern Irishman. He has already won three tournaments so far, including the 2025 Masters, to complete the career grand slam.

At the 2025 US Open, Rory McIlroy had a tough time on the greens on Thursday, June 12, but he played the next round of 72 to jump 17 spots on the leaderboard.

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Exploring the leaderboard of the 2025 US Open featuring Rory McIlroy

On Friday, June 13, during the second round of the 2025 US Open, Sam Burns was pretty impressive with his game, and he played a round of 65 to jump 32 spots on the leaderboard and took the lead in the game. J.J. Spaun settled in second place, followed by Viktor Hovland.

Here is the leaderboard of the 2025 US Open after round 2, featuring Rory McIlroy (only top 45 and their ties):

• 1 - Sam Burns (-3)
• 2 - J. J. Spaun (-2)
• 3 - Viktor Hovland (-1)
• T4 - Adam Scott (E)
• T4 - Ben Griffin (E)
• T6 - Victor Perez (+1)
• T6 - Thriston Lawrence (+1) (Round Incomplete)
• T8 - Russell Henley (+2)
• T8 - Brooks Koepka (+2)
• T8 - Si Woo Kim (+2)
• T8 - Thomas Detry (+2)
• T12 - Emiliano Grillo (+3)
• T12 - Max Greyserman (+3)
• T12 - Adam Schenk (+3)
• T12 - Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+3)
• T12 - Tyrrell Hatton (+3)
• T12 - Jason Day (+3)
• T12 - Chris Kirk (+3)
• T12 - Carlos Ortiz (+3)
• T12 - Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+3)
• T12 - Keegan Bradley (+3)
• T12 - Sam Stevens (+3)
• T23 - Nick Taylor (+4)
• T23 - Jon Rahm (+4)
• T23 - Denny McCarthy (+4)
• T23 - Collin Morikawa (+4)
• T23 - Scottie Scheffler (+4)
• T23 - Cameron Young (+4)
• T23 - Jhonattan Vegas (+4)
• T23 - Daniel Berger (+4)
• T23 - Aaron Rai (+4)
• T23 - Rasmus Hojgaard (+4)
• T23 - Trevor Cone (+4)
• T23 - Taylor Pendrith (+4)
• T23 - Robert MacIntyre (+4)
• T36 - Ryan Fox (+5)
• T36 - Jordan Spieth (+5)
• T36 - Sungjae Im (+5)
• T36 - Matthieu Pavon (+5)
• T36 - Mackenzie Hughes (+5)
• T36 - Tom Kim (+5)
• T36 - Maverick McNealy (+5)
• T36 - Jhonny Keefer (+5)
• T36 - Chris Gotterup (+5) (Round Incomplete)
• T45 - Matt Wallace (+6)
• T45 - J. T. Poston (+6)
• T45 - Corey Conners (+6)
• T45 - Michael Kim (+6)
• T45 - Marc Leishman (+6)
• T45 - Tony Finau (+6)
• T45 - Justin Hastings (a) (+6)
• T45 - Jordan Smith (+6)
• T45 - Xander Schauffele (+6)
• T45 - Rory McIlroy (+6)
• T45 - Niklas Norgaard (+6)
• T45 - Ryan Gerard (+6)
• T45 - Philip Barbaree Jr. (+6) (Round Incomplete)

Notably, the game on Friday was suspended due to lightning, and some players have yet to complete their game. Round two is scheduled to resume on Saturday, June 14, at 7:30 a.m. ET.