Rory McIlroy just wants to go home.
After three rounds at Oakmont Country Club at this year’s US Open, the Northern Irishman is over it.
When asked what he wanted from Sunday’s final round after a frustrating first three rounds at the 125th US Open, the Masters champion said: “Hopefully a round in under four-and-a-half hours and get out of here.”
McIlroy’s triumph at Augusta earlier this year made him the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam. It was his first major championship win in more than a decade after multiple close calls, and the golf world collectively wondered whether McIlroy could go on to huge success in 2025 with the Masters monkey off his back.
That’s not been the case, not by a longshot.
The five-time major winner has cut a frustrated figure throughout this week’s US Open outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s been seen throwing clubs, smashing tee box markers, tossing his putter into the air after missing putts and – as he did at the PGA Championship last month – blowing off reporters after his rounds.
When he spoke on Saturday after his 4-over 74, McIlroy admitted that he hadn’t felt the same after his Masters win.
“You don’t know how you’re going to react to such a – I wouldn’t say a life-altering occasion, but at least something that I’ve dreamt about for a long time,” he said, adding “I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards.”
McIlroy is a crowd favorite here at Oakmont, attracting some of the largest galleries on the course. Spectators holler “Let’s go, Rory!” whenever he walks past, whether that’s after one of the two birdies he carded on Saturday or the six bogeys that left him shaking his head.
But it seems no amount of support is cutting through McIlroy’s frustration at the moment. He managed to book himself a weekend tee time with a remarkable closing stretch on Friday, playing 2-under after starting his round with two double bogeys on the first three holes. The question on everyone’s lips during his Friday afternoon struggle was simple: “Is Rory going to miss the cut?”
A brilliant birdie on 18, set up by one of the best approach shots hit by McIlroy since that Sunday playoff at Augusta, wasn’t so much fueled by his competitive nature as it was his apathy toward playing another two days at the US Open.
“It’s funny. It’s much easier being on the cut line when you don’t really care if you’re here for the weekend or not,” he told reporters with a laugh. “I was sort of thinking, ‘Do I really want two more days here or not?’ So, it makes it easier to play better when you’re in that mindset.”
Unlike his friend and early-rounds playing partner Shane Lowry – whose rage at the course was clear from the start, including a moment when he dropped a four-letter expletive caught by a hot mic after missing a putt on Friday – McIlroy is still here.
It seems that it’s much to his chagrin – especially at the prospect of answering questions from the media.
McIlroy said earlier this month that he didn’t speak to the media at the PGA Championship in May because he was angry after it was reported that his driver was nonconforming ahead of the tournament, expressing that information was supposed to be confidential and someone leaked it.
Ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy stressed to reporters that speaking to the media wasn’t something required of players. When asked about those comments on Saturday, he said he wasn’t trying to force PGA Tour officials to require players to speak to the media.
Instead, his desire to skip post-round interviews is purely frustration with the media and he’d continue to skip talking after rounds if he didn’t feel like it.
“I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah,” he said.
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The beast that is Oakmont’s setup for this tournament is punishing players who make the tiniest mistake. McIlroy is no different and, while he feels like he’s played “OK” this week, the mental game is weighing on him.
“That’s the name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there, but it’s one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly,” he said.
He added, “It’s very difficult. You got to be on every single shot. You know if you miss a fairway you’re going to be scrambling for par. You know if you miss your landing spot even coming from the fairways by a couple yards, these greens repel the ball into rough and you’re up against collars and it just makes things very, very tricky. So, yeah, you got to be totally on your game.”
It’s clear that McIlroy is not on his game, a disappointing fact that has led to viral moments of anger that will be the lasting memories of his 2025 US Open. With next month’s Open Championship being held in his home nation’s Royal Portrush, McIlroy will be hoping to get himself out of this funk and back toward the top of the leaderboard.
He tees off for his final round of the US Open on Sunday morning, hours before the leaders arrive on the Oakmont grounds as they push for the trophy that McIlroy won in 2011.
If his demeanor on Saturday is any indication, he’ll be long gone by the time the 18-inch, sterling silver cup is raised.
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