Rory McIlroy’s victory at The Masters provided arguably the most satisfying conclusion to a golf event for the large majority of fans, with the Northern Irishman managing to complete the Career Grand Slam.
It was remarkable to watch the outpouring of love for McIlroy as he walked through the crowds of people having finally won at Augusta National. Everyone was aware of what a historic moment it was.
However, the 36-year-old is a somewhat divisive figure. McIlroy rightly came in for a lot of criticism for how he conducted himself at both the PGA Championship and the US Open, particularly with the media.
Meanwhile, McIlroy was the number one target for the section of spectators who were determined to cross the line at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup.
What the majority of PGA Tour players really think about Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has also attracted some pushback from those who jumped to LIV Golf in recent years. Of course, the five-time major champion has not been afraid to make his feelings about LIV clear.
Obviously, McIlroy is under the microscope like almost no other golfer. So it cannot be easy for him, as the face of the PGA Tour, to remain popular among his peers.
Interestingly, speaking on Indo Sport, writer Alan Shipnuck suggested that there are differing opinions about McIlroy behind the scenes on the PGA Tour, though he is largely liked as a person.
“It depends where they are on the money list, because the top players love Rory because he’s doubled, almost tripled their salaries. It’s going to be an important part of Rory’s legacy that he reshaped the PGA Tour, in a lot of ways, saved the PGA Tour. But his vision, which was cribbed a little bit from LIV Golf, was that we have to have the top players playing against each other more often. And it’s all about the top players. We have to stop this exodus, leaving the tour. We have to keep guys happy, keep them at home. And to do that, the tour’s remade itself into much more of a closed shop with smaller fields, more guaranteed money. There have been no cuts for a while, they may come back in the future,” he said.
“If you were one of those top players and you were getting the guaranteed money and you didn’t have to sweat making the cut and you were soaking up the world ranking points by just showing up, you love Rory’s vision of the tour. If you were 175th to 150th on the money list and you’re fighting for your survival, you’re a little bitter that there’s fewer opportunities to play golf now. And that’s going to really accelerate.
“On an interpersonal level, yes [he’s popular]. Shane [Lowry] is important to Rory because Rory doesn’t have a lot of close friends out there, but he mixes with everybody. When you go into the locker room and see the cliques, there’s a table of all the Asian guys having lunch, all the European guys are having lunch, all the guys from the south-east United States, they’re hanging out. All the dudes who went to a certain college. Rory can mix with any of them. That’s kind of his gift.
“He’s an extrovert, he loves to go out to these dinners, a lot of people. He always picks up the check. Tiger was a loner, you never saw him. We kind of know now he had this secret life. But you never saw Tiger at a dinner party with eight people, that was his worst nightmare. Rory loves that. You see that on tour, he’s nice to everybody. He’s a golf nerd, so if you win the Puerto Rico Open and you’re kind of a no name player, he’ll go up and congratulate you and say, ‘man, that three iron on the 17th hole on Sunday was so sweet’. That means a lot to these guys, just because he has that personal touch. I think he’s popular interpersonally, but I think his legacy is complex from player to player.”
Shipnuck’s comments help show why Rory McIlroy has always stuck by Harry Diamond
McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond has come in for plenty of criticism over the last few years, particularly after Bryson DeChambeau won the US Open at Pinehurst in 2024.
It is impossible to know how much responsibility Diamond should take for McIlroy’s performances over the years. But Shipnuck’s comments do help explain why he is so important to McIlroy.
They have been close friends for an incredibly long time. Having that companionship in what could easily feel like an extremely lonely position clearly helps McIlroy.
He has someone he obviously enjoys spending time with alongside him for several hours of the day during tournaments.
With that, he probably does not mind quite as much if he is not a truly beloved figure among the majority of the PGA Tour.
