Rory McIlroy's former agent, Chubby Chandler, has claimed that his former client has fallen out of love with golf, asserting that former greats of the game like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus would never allow that to happen.
McIlroy, one of the best golfers in the world, finished tied for 21st at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend, after series of bogeys.
A lot is made about McIlroy's talents and whether he has the mettle to win another major. His last major came in the 2014 PGA Championship, held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then, he has had near misses and smaller wins.
McIlroy is now in contention at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, but his focus will on the likes of the Masters
Chandler was Rory McIlroy's first manager when he became a professional in 2007. Their relationship lasted until 2011, when the Northern Irishman was already a star and had won his first major. He believes that McIlroy doesn't look like he cares about playing golf at this moment in time.
"McIlroy looks disinterested. Tiger and Nicklaus would never have sacrificed a year of their careers like he did."
"Rory looks disinterested to me. He doesn’t look sharp. It looks to me at the moment that last year took an awful lot out of him, and suddenly he got let down, and he’s finding it hard to get back up again."
Rory McIlroy SG: Putting
R1: -3.28
R2: +3.13
One hour with Brad Faxon. Over 6 stroke difference. What a turnaround.
pic.twitter.com/eYPAkKmFhQ— Mark Fox (@ThePluggedLie) March 8, 2024
"That’s what it looks like to me. There is no spark in his eyes, no twinkle. He had about an hour and a half on Saturday afternoon where he was like the old Rory, but you know that bouncy step he has when he’s playing well, it’s not there, and I’m sure that year out of his life, or 18 months, took its toll."
Chandler believes that McIlroy's abundance of cash could also be a cause of his malaise with a golf club.
"And don’t forget about Rory; he’s got a lot of cash. He and Tiger have billions, and the rest haven’t. I can’t imagine having a billion dollars and playing as hard as he does," he added.
"He looks like he is finding the game a grind. Last week, he wasn’t there for it at PGA National; he wasn’t there for it at Arnold Palmer; those are two nice events for him. It’s worrying. It will be interesting to see how fired up he gets this week."
"Rory was front and centre of Full Swing. I don’t see how he couldn’t see what was happening to him. Either he was getting well-paid for it or he liked seeing his quotes up in lights all the time because you’d never have Nicklaus or Tiger doing it. They would never have sacrificed a year of their lives; he’s playing not as well as they can for the sake of fighting for the PGA Tour, and he’s not even American."
Chandler was speaking to BetIdeas.
