Rory Mcilroy went into the final round of this past weekend’s Memorial Tournament T-1, and in prime position to win a trophy that comes with more than just hardware and a big paycheck, as it is hosted by legend Jack Nicklaus.
After seven bogeys and a +3 score on Sunday, McIlroy left the 18th green and was greeted by Nicklaus, as he does every other participant after the 72nd hole. But the Golden Bear had a little more to offer McIlroy than other participants.
As McIlroy walked off the 18th green and Jack and he embraced, Rory thanked him for hosting yet another great tournament that tested the mettle of every golfer that showed up. But Nicklaus said to McIlroy, “We need to sit down and talk sometime.”
McIlroy replied, “Yeah.”
Rory McIlroy greets Jack Nicklaus as he leaves the 18th hole at the Memorial
pic.twitter.com/FxvhSjvULk— Golf Please (@golf_please) June 4, 2023
Golf Twitter nearly exploded, wondering what the implications of that conversation and the performance of McIlroy, who drove the ball well all weekend, ranking third in the field for Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee and first in Driving Distance, would be for the Northern Irishman’s future.
McIlroy struggled from 100 yards and in, even suffering bogies on both front-nine par 5s, perhaps giving Nicklaus some feedback on what the issue might be.
“Maybe he needs to throttle back. He hits it so hard.”
We all know it has been a strange year for Rory. After being somewhat of a propped-up figure for the PGA Tour in its backlash against LIV Golf, it seemed to all come to a head for him after missing the cut at the Masters. All of the drama and focus on golf, but not the game and the struggle between the two rival tours, had pushed him to his brink. After a few weeks off, he returned and struggled at the Wells Fargo before finishing T-7 at the PGA.
McIlroy’s performance was far from bad, but it might have been expected that he come out of this weekend with his second win of the year, especially as a birdie at the Par-3 fourth put him ahead of the rest of the field.
Speculation persists on what could and might be the topic of that conversation, but actual details will likely remain behind closed doors. Many believe Nicklaus might have something to say about McIlroy’s long-time caddie and best friend Harry Diamond carrying his bag, which has led to no Major Championships since 2014.
However, this is just the talk of those on Twitter, and the speech Nicklaus will give Rory might be directed more toward focusing on his game and less on the bigger PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf picture, which may have been a bit of a distraction for McIlroy in the early portion of the 2023 campaign.
Cover Image Via Twitter
