Rory McIlroy’s final round at June’s U.S. Open was so tumultuous that it led to an unexpected mishap: missing a text message from his idol, Tiger Woods.
After McIlroy, 35, missed crucial short putts on the 16th and 18th holes, effectively conceding the trophy to Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods reached out with a message of support.
However, there was a hitch.
“Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, so I didn’t get it until he told me about it today,” McIlroy told The Guardian in an interview published on July 15. “I was like, ‘Oh, thanks very much.’ So I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing.”
Reflecting on the missed message, McIlroy added, “If he hadn’t waited that long, I probably would have got it. But I caught up with him earlier. It’s always nice when your hero and the guy that you had on your bedroom wall is reaching out and offering words of encouragement.”
Before changing his number, McIlroy did receive supportive texts from other sports legends, including Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal. “MJ was maybe the first person to text me after I missed the putt on the 18th, but both of them got in touch very, very quickly,” McIlroy noted. “They just told me to keep going. MJ reminded me of how many game-winning shots he missed. Really nice.”
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The decision to change his number came after McIlroy was inundated with media requests following what he described as “probably the toughest day I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.”
“From the time I left Pinehurst to the time I walked through my front door on Sunday night, I probably got about 10 or 15 text messages from media members, and I was like, ‘It’s probably time to get a new number,’” McIlroy explained. “Create a bit of space.”
Tiger Woods, 48, provided some insight into his message to McIlroy during his pre-tournament press conference at The Open Championship. “We’ve all been there as champions. We all lose,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, it just happened, and the raw emotion of it, it’s still there, and it’s going to be there for, I’m sure, some time. The faster he’s able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week, the better it is for him.”
McIlroy will have the opportunity to bounce back at this week’s 152nd Open Championship, which tees off at Scotland’s Royal Troon on Thursday, July 18. As he prepares for this prestigious event, McIlroy can take solace in knowing that even his childhood hero is rooting for his success.
