On Wednesday, Rory McIlroy got the chance to address what unfolded at the U.S. Open for the first time since he sped away from the tournament without speaking with the press, and he fired a shot at Hank Haney while defending his caddie from the backlash he was subjected to thanks to what unfolded at Pinehurst.
Next month will mark the 10th anniversary of the last time Rory McIlroy won a major thanks to his victory at the PGA Championship in 2014, and at this point, you have to imagine that drought has started to weigh on the 34-year-old whenever he gets the chance to bring it to an end.
It looked like the Northern Irishman had a solid chance to do exactly that at the U.S. Open in June, but the three bogeys he recorded on the final four holes (two of which stemmed from missed putts within three feet) allowed Bryson DeChambeau to pull off the comeback.
McIlroy quickly departed Pinehurst without addressing the media, but he got the chance to reflect on what unfolded during a press conference that was held on Wednesday prior to this week’s Scottish Open.
While it’s pretty clear Rory places the blame on himself, there were plenty of people who used his collapse at the U.S. Open to reignite The Discourse surrounding his caddie Harry Diamond, a childhood friend of McIlroy’s who’s been manning the bag since he replaced J.P. Fitzgerald in 2017.
That group of critics included current and former pros Eddie Pepperell and Smylie Kaufman as well as veteran swing instructor Hank Haney, and during the media session, McIlroy went out of his way to call out those last two men while making it pretty clear he couldn’t care less about the opinion of the final man on the list.
Rory’s full response on the Harry Diamond criticism: pic.twitter.com/mYkrYMkLsG
— Rory Tracker (@RoryTrackr) July 10, 2024
Here’s what he had to say when asked about the backlash his caddie has been subjected to:
“It’s certainly unfair. Hank Haney’s never been in that position. Smylie has been in that position once—and I love Smylie—but just because Harry’s not as vocal or as loud with his words as other caddies, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t say anything or do anything.
These guys who criticize when things don’t go my way, they never say anything good when things do go my way. Where were they when I won Dubai earlier this year or Quail Hallow or the two FedEx Cups I’ve won with Harry or the previous Dubais or whatever…
Someone said to me once: ‘If you’d never take advice from these people, then you’d never take the criticisms either.’ Certainly wouldn’t go to Hank Haney for advice. I love Smylie, but I think I know what I’m doing out there.”
That settles that.
The post Rory McIlroy Fires A Shot At Hank Haney While Defending His Caddie After U.S. Open Criticism appeared first on BroBible.
Rory McIlroy Fires A Shot At Hank Haney While Defending His Caddie After U.S. Open Criticism
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