Rory McIlroy’s roller-coaster relationship with victory has gone from the greens to the political scene. Last week, former RNC Chair Reince Priebus took a playful jab at the Northern Irish golfer, saying, “She bombed like Rory [McIlroy] at the U.S. Open,” in a critique of Vice President Kamala Harris during ABC’s This Week roundtable. Social media erupted, laughing at McIlroy’s new, if unintended, role in U.S. politics.
For golf fans, the humor hits a bittersweet note. At the 2024 U.S. Open, McIlroy found himself on the cusp of ending a decade-long major drought. Playing on Pinehurst No. 2, he reached the 18th green in position to force a playoff against Bryson DeChambeau. But with a bogey on his fourth shot, his chance drained away as DeChambeau nailed his putt. In the TV room, McIlroy’s face said it all. He later called it the “toughest day” of his career.
This heartbreak is far from isolated. At his beloved Irish Open this year, McIlroy held a 54-hole lead, with fans buzzing as he approached the final green at Royal County Down. He needed a 10-foot eagle putt to secure a win on home soil—but a brutal turn sent the ball off course, adding another tally to McIlroy’s history of near-misses. “Unfortunately, I’m getting used to it this year,” he admitted afterward, a reminder that even hometown advantage doesn’t guarantee victory.
McIlroy’s struggles on the green extend beyond professional tournaments. In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he contended for bronze, tying in a seven-way playoff. Surviving the first two rounds, he fell in the third, narrowly missing his chance to bring an Olympic medal home. “I’ve never tried so hard in my life to finish third,” he confessed, hoping for a Paris comeback in 2024 that also, heartbreakingly, ended in fifth place.
In 2009, a then-20-year-old McIlroy burst onto the DP World Tour with a victory at the Dubai Desert Classic. Over a decade later, in 2022, he was poised to win his third Classic title with just a birdie, but his final shot splashed into a pond near the 18th green, leaving him with a bogey and no playoff. Visibly furious, he stormed out, though he did claim two more Desert Classic titles by 2024.
Rory’s “choker” reputation, many argue, began in 2010. A missed putt on the 72nd hole cost him a playoff in the PGA Championship, even as he achieved his long-awaited major victory the following year. Despite these misses, McIlroy’s legacy endures as one of golf’s most dedicated figures, his tenacity on full display. With another shot at a major in five months, the burning question is, can he finally conquer the Sunday curse?
