Rory McIlroy is arguably the most popular golfer in the world, but his interactions with the media lately would make you think otherwise.
After finally winning the career Grand Slam with a gut-wrenching victory at the Masters in April, McIlroy hasn’t been himself in the eyes of many observers. He didn’t speak with the media after six consecutive rounds at majors, and when he broke his silence Saturday at the U.S. Open, he could’ve broken more with his words.
During the almost five minutes McIlroy granted, a reporter asked whether his struggles since the Masters were behind his silence.
“No, not really,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s more frustration with you guys. I don’t know. I have been totally available for the last few years. I’m not saying, maybe not you guys, but maybe more just the whole thing.”
He said the whole thing included the report that his driver failed testing at the PGA Championship, which was supposed to have stayed confidential. But his silence wasn’t “out of the ordinary. I’ve done it before. I’m just doing it a little more often.”
Then he dropped the hammer: “I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want.”
In the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.”
Some famous media types have countered McIlroy’s contention.
“To me, he is such a leader of a tour, has been incredibly accountable, more than anybody,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said on his podcast, “SVPod.” ‘‘And maybe he just reached the point where he’s like, ‘You know what? I’m [expletive] done. I’ve done this forever, and now I feel like I’ve reached a point where I get to do whatever I want.’ Saying the quiet part out loud like that makes people go, ‘Oh, really? Well, that’s an interesting way to frame it.’ ’’
“It goes along with the territory,” Dan Patrick said on his radio show. “All of these athletes, I think you owe it to the public to speak to the media. How long you speak or what you say, that’s up to you. But I do think that they support you, they’re out there, they’re fans of yours, they want to hear. Good and bad.”
“I don’t like to see that,” Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley said. “I think Rory’s better than that. Either not talking to the media or giving a press conference like that doesn’t serve him fairly or rightly for the kind of person that he is.”
Collin Morikawa actually preceded McIlroy with his own media blackout. After losing a three-shot lead with five holes to play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Morikawa didn’t speak with reporters. He defended himself the next week before the Players Championship, telling reporters, “I don’t owe anyone anything.”
The PGA does not require players to speak with the media, a non-rule that McIlroy called “a nice luxury to have.” But perhaps it should. Say what you want about the media, but in sports, it’s the conduit between the players and their fans. When players blow off the media, they’re essentially blowing off their fans, who play a part in the money they make.
It’s indicative of a broader issue across sports. Fans don’t always notice, but some players and teams have become more restrictive with access. Aside from affecting how well the media do their job, such superficial limits are shortsighted in that they limit promotion, which is why players are made available in the first place.
Some players are taking their message directly to fans through social media, posing another challenge to reporters. Though such interaction might make fans feel connected to the players, they’re probably not getting the story that a question-and-answer session would provide. That’s not the players’ favorite part of the job, but, as Patrick said, it’s part of the job.
McIlroy has had a lot on his plate the last few years. He made himself the face of the PGA’s fight with LIV Golf, only to see the PGA back down and work to merge with LIV, which has yet to happen. Elements of his personal life have become public, and his chase for the career Slam probably took longer than he expected. So we can surmise what he’s probably feeling.
But it would be unfortunate for him — or any athlete — to see his image tarnished by being difficult with the media. Nothing good comes of it. McIlroy appears to be recovering, given the ovations he received Thursday at the Travelers Championship. He even took the time to meet the media beforehand, calling the event “the perfect chaser” after the U.S. Open.
For McIlroy’s sake, and golf’s, let’s hope his silence stays broken.
The way I hear it
Cubs radio voice Pat Hughes had a sensational call Tuesday of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s eighth-inning home run, which followed his incredible diving catch in the top of the inning: “It’s like we’re watching a movie starring Pete Crow-Armstrong in this eighth inning.”
† Congrats to White Sox TV voice John Schriffen, who in the top of the ninth inning of the Sox’ 3-1 loss to the Rangers last Friday indicated what inning it was a sure-to-be-record 10 times. The inning lasted six batters.
Remote patrol
The Sky’s home game Saturday against the Mercury will air at noon on ABC. Angel Gray will call it with LaChina Robinson and Brooke Weisbrod. It will be preceded by “WNBA Countdown” at 11:30 a.m.
† ABC and ESPN will have separate broadcasts of the first round of the NBA Draft starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday. North Shore native Shams Charania will make his draft debut on ESPN. The Bulls pick 12th.