Rory McIlroy Under Fire for Post-Round Behavior at U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
There may not be a more punishing course on the PGA Tour than Oakmont, and while several golfers have battled their way through 36 grueling holes between Thursday and Friday, few wear their emotions as openly as Rory McIlroy.
Coming off a disappointing showing at the PGA Championship several weeks ago, McIlroy faced criticism for avoiding media availability entirely during the tournament. Though he addressed that decision ahead of last week’s RBC Canadian Open, it now appears he’s reverted to a similar stance.
McIlroy has skipped both Thursday and Friday’s post-round media sessions at the U.S. Open, once again drawing backlash. After Friday’s round, where he landed just inside the cut line at 6-over par, his media behavior came under further scrutiny.
According to reports, a USGA official approached McIlroy to ask about media availability as he walked from the scoring area to the clubhouse. Without stopping, McIlroy replied, “No, I’m good.”
🚨🎤❌ #DECLINED — Following round 2 of the U.S. Open, @GolfDigest reports that a USGA official approached Rory McIlroy about his media availability as he walked from the scorer’s room to the clubhouse without stopping and said “No, I’m good.” @TrackingRory
What’s your opinion… pic.twitter.com/c9qU3v7uVq
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 14, 2025
“Athletes only have jobs because people watch. If people didn’t watch, they’d have zero dollars to play for. Is it a pain to talk to the media? I’m sure it is, but that’s part of his job. Pathetic,” a fan said.
Another fan posted, “Dude won the Masters and had the golf world in the palm of his hand. Why is Rory trying to become the villain all of a sudden?”
Someone else added, “Rory is becoming more and more unlikeable and less relatable which will only hurt his image. If that’s what he wants, so be it.”
“What a freaking baby. Bryson missed the cut by 100 and still made time for fans and media,” one more fan commented.
McIlroy will have two more opportunities to speak with the media this weekend following the third and final rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Whether he chooses to do so may depend largely on how he performs on the course — a course that has shown little mercy to anyone in the field over the first two days.
Related: Phil Mickelson Earns Praise For What He Did After Missing Cut at U.S. Open
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
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