Opinion & Analysis
Opinion: Give McIlroy a break
By Ryan David, GolfWRX Contributor
Rory McIlroy isn’t making it easy to be a fan lately. A missed cut in Dubai and a Round-1 loss at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship stirred many observers into voicing concern for his game. His withdraw from the Honda Classic midway through the second round after a miserable start made will make things even worse.
It’s obvious that McIlroy’s has become cluttered in 2013. Swirling in his head is the pressure to perform, keep his No. 1 ranking, play nice with the media and do right by his new equipment sponsor, Nike, who will dump generational wealth into his bank account in the coming years. It should come as no surprise that his game, the physical manfiestation of his mental state, has suffered.
As much as his new clubs are talked about, they’re not the culprit of his struggles. Yes, his entire bag changed, and it may have not been in McIlroy’s best interests to make an equipment change if he hoped to carry over all the momentum he built for himself in 2012. But McIlroy’s real problems are his swing mechanics.
He’s admitted that he’s “under plane” and has said that he’s been working on his swing during rounds — not a place golfers want to be mentally when fractions of an inch can mean the difference between making the cut and packing their bags. The bottom line is that Rory left Nike’s R&D facility, The Oven, with clubs very similar to his Titleists, but with a swing that was flawed.
The Nike deal itself was enough to layer unreasonable pressure to perform. It instantly made the 23-year-old one of the highest paid athletes in professional sports. Along with the money, the timing of the deal dictated that Rory spend his normal vacation time getting acquainted with his new sponsor and their product.
Rory has also had to deal with a new level of celebrity in his personal life. With a high-profile significant other, Rory has been subject to the same kind of media coverage akin to TMZ. I personally remember my Twitter feed full of marriage speculation that Rory actually responded to. Actual journalists were kicking the question about whether or not he was ready to marry back and forth. A slow news day, perhaps, but also an indicator of the scrutiny placed on an athlete suddenly thrust into the mainstream limelight.
Nike is also a much different animal in terms of media responsibilities and requirements. Before the season even kicked off, he had already starred in a feature spot TV spot. In his understanding that he is under a new, more powerful media microscope, Rory seems to be struggling with the pressure. He appears physically and mentally exhausted on the course and in the interview room.
Now, think back to his play last year. For the most part, you remember the absolute ease in which he won the PGA Championship and his top-notch play in August and September. For a minute, though, think about May and June. He missed the cut at the The Players, The Memorial and the U.S. Open. He finally clicked when he found his swing and reportedly “stopped thinking about it.” Are we seeing shades of May 2012 Rory? Perhaps. A reboot of his mental state will undoubtedly reboot his swing and most certainly lead to the McIlroy that holds trophies on Sundays.
Obviously, something was bothering him mentally and physically when he withdrew on Friday. He certainly could have handled it better, but a deeper look into his recent activity reveals some of the burnout associated with being a high-paid, high-pressure athlete at the top of the game. It’s easy to judge him harshly and not to sympathize, and many analysts have. Me? I’m not jumping on that train, nor am I counting him (or his clubs) out just yet.
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
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Bill
Mar 29, 2013 at 9:02 pm
Everyone has their take on Rory. He allowed himself to be overwhelmed. His handlers and Nike get to share some of the responsibility. He’s distracted and still needs some guidance off the course. Part of the problem is that he met a girl he really likes and never has to work another day in his life and can live like royalty.
Getting used to a club change can make some difference also but I think he’s wiped out and wanting to relax a bit. Most of us in our 20’s wouldn’t have been much different. There’s been a few guys on tour who have won and ended up partying in Vegas and we haven’t seen them atop a leaderboard since.
There’s no comparison to Tiger. Tiger was driven and had a father that helped keep his focus and on the path..It took him years and REALLY screwing up to lose HIS focus. He’s gotten it back it appears. I hope Rory does also. Nice kid. Great talent. But with that swing, he needs to be a machine on the range. Time will tell
HJD
Mar 4, 2013 at 10:38 pm
I gotta say that I’m disappointed in Rory. Quitting and then trying to sell us with the lame excuse of his wisdom tooth….c’mon. At 23 we’ve all made mistakes but it’s not like he didn’t know what was going to result from his abrupt exit.. He’s been playing golf for how long? He had to know how that would be perceived. Now add the big contract, the celebrity GF, all the perks of fame n fortune…he’s gotta know he’s gonna catch major scrutiny from quitting. Rory, just stay humble, learn from this, know your every move is under a microscope, and adjust your actions accordingly.
Andy
Mar 4, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Quitting is quitting whether it a PGA Tour event or an 8 year playing junior golf. It’s simply unacceptable. I was a huge Rory fan up until Friday and I simply can back a person who, like it or not, is a role model to my two sons. When they see Rory quit during a bad round, they won’t be far to follow suit. Sorry Rory, but actions have consequences and hopefully I am not one father trying to teach this my children.
dan
Mar 3, 2013 at 2:34 am
Yeah, have to call bs here in a big way. If the athlete in question was a certain Mr woods, the media would be telling him to take a seat next to nick faldo in the commentary box. Rory wants the cash and the notoriety, he should learn to wear the heat that comes with it. Maybe the pressure that came with the money from nike is the issue and not the clubs.
Gary McCormick
Mar 2, 2013 at 4:57 pm
It’s not about celebrity, or the pressure that comes with it — it’s about sticking with the thing that has brought you fame and wealth. Rory has been jetsetting around with his new tennis-star girlfriend and ignoring his game, and both have fallen from the pinnacle of their respective sports.
The switch to Nike came at a bad time – because of the current lack of attention to his game, he is in a worse-than-usual position to be changing equipment.
The kid needs to keep his head in the game, work on getting used to the new gear — and give the jetsetting around with the Wozniacki chick a rest…
Gus
Mar 2, 2013 at 1:51 pm
Simple – if rory wants to be given a break, then stick with Titleist and turn down Nike and might even have gained some respect. Once you accept the big sponsorships the scrutiny comes with the territory.
He wasn’t forced to switch to Nike – his old sponsors would have loves to keep him.
His lack of practice and preparation is due to his own fault. Why dshould he be given a break?
I’m a senior manager at my company, if I or my team makes a mistake you think my clients going to cut me some slack?
Rory might be a nice kid but he is I’ll advised and poorly managed, letting
Paul
Mar 2, 2013 at 6:20 pm
If you have to be perfect for your clients then you don’t have much of a relationship with them. No person, company or sport’s figure is perfect. It’s easy to judge from the peanut gallery.
Captain Obvious
Mar 2, 2013 at 10:25 am
Did anyone give Tiger a break?
Per
Mar 2, 2013 at 6:02 pm
I think mr Woods took quite a long break when Elingate was revealed! Blaiming injuries in almoust every piece of his body!
Dpavs
Mar 2, 2013 at 8:28 am
Sorry but I cannot agree. If you are that mentally screwed up… plain and simple don’t enter or withdraw before play starts. Once you start ou have to tough it out. Most of us should be so lucky to be able to experience how mentally tough it is to have a freaking silver spoon in our mouths and have to suffer the pressure or fame and fortune. If you are looking for folks who deserver a break.. there are plenty of places more deserving to look, perhaps if Rory did so it would fix his perspective on life and golf.
Imperfect
Mar 2, 2013 at 7:17 am
So he was having a bad day at work and decided to play hooky, so what. Everyone gets a mulligan now and then, even a kid who got lots of money. I suppose the perfect people who post here can’t understand that. Get well Rory, can’t wait ’til your back in top form.
I made wayyyy bigger mistakes when I was 23 and was condemned by certain heartless superior beings. All of them have eaten crow.
dan
Mar 3, 2013 at 5:41 am
Dude are you serious? The difference between you and I playing hookey and mcilroy is one, he’s on 20 mill a year not to and two, as a marquee signing to the Nike name he represents the brand. That is a lot of pressure but if you can’t hack it, don’t make the deal. All the talent in the world can’t help if your ticker isn’t in it and if he’s walking off mid round he’s not in the right place mentally. And if that’s the case, perhaps the pressure (sponsors and self imposed) is too much.
Troy Vayanos
Mar 2, 2013 at 3:48 am
I’m not jumping on the Rory haters just yet either Ryan. However, as the world number one there is a certain level of responsibility and expectation that comes with the job.
If his wisdom teeth weren’t right before the event he shouldn’t have played and risked walking off half way through. I guess he felt obligated but in hindsight was probably the wrong decision.
I would have have liked to see Rory tough out the round, sign his scorecard and see how he felt in the next day.
Trevor
Mar 2, 2013 at 1:12 am
A break? Are you kidding? This is supposed to be a professional. A world ranked #1. A well endorsed player. He had his break at the Dubai and another the Accenture match play. There is no excuse for this one. A wisdom tooth? lol come on now.
Matt M
Mar 1, 2013 at 10:30 pm
G’s comments are what is wrong with the world we live in. A discussion on taking the cash over what works is a topic that can be fairly discussed. But, attacking a young 20 something is wrong. Rory walking off was the wrong thing to do but man I’m glad I’m not judged by the choices I made when I was his age. I don’t think it’s fair to attack him just because he is successful. The world we live in would be a far better place if we looked on others the way we would like to be looked at. We all make mistakes we should all remember that. I do think the pressure of the moment is getting to Rory. He’ll be back he just needs to grow up some.
Randall
Mar 1, 2013 at 9:44 pm
Nice fluff piece. Follow him on Twitter. He isn’t stressed, he is enjoying his life. Trips with gf, famous friends. He is playing badly, will it last, hopefully not, but withdrawing bc a bad round is laughable. If he doesn’t want/deserve extra criticism, give back the tens of millions of dollars he accepted.
J
Mar 1, 2013 at 9:41 pm
Blah. You don’t make the decision to pursue that life and lifestyle without the understanding of what it comes with. It doesn’t mean it’s ok for people to admonish or dig into his life…it’s not ok,..mind your own business…however, as I said…he chose it. Just like every famous athlete, movie star, politician… You wanted it…you got it. Deal with it or disappear, take your pick. Toothache? Good one. I’m going to call in “fired” with a toothache tomorrow… Seeya on the course!
Michael
Mar 1, 2013 at 9:23 pm
the guy gets over 20 million a year!!!! he gets NO breaks.
Lloyd
Mar 1, 2013 at 9:12 pm
Rory still very young and never been in this situation before trying to please every one including the stupid press and other people who will never understand the true meaning of pressure. His clubs are fine they been made to his spec same grips and shafts as he had in the titleist gear and the same weight added to his putter. Every golfer struggles Rory just needs to sort his head out and get back on planet earth
Chris
Mar 1, 2013 at 7:36 pm
We look forward to and expect more from our World #1.
What more can be said?
Kyle
Mar 1, 2013 at 6:37 pm
You should know better than to argue something like this. Don’t you know that once a person (a) make a certain amount of money, (b) become a public figure, or (c) date a public figure, he ceases to be a human being worthy of anyone’s consideration, kindness, decency, or respect?
As G said, he IS a celebrity. A public figure. A supposed role-model. With trophies. And millions. And a super-star tennis girlfriend. Indeed, not only is he “open for scrutiny”, it is imperative that we as a society give him nothing but scrutiny. It’s only fair, after all.
Oh well, there’s a positive here. People like G and others give me the opportunity for teaching moments with my son…about the kind of person he doesn’t want to be.
G
Mar 1, 2013 at 9:09 pm
Even the professional pundits are all over it, so why shouldn’t I be? I’m a nobody. Making minimum wage. I’m just as curious as anybody out there.
G
Mar 1, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Wha? Ffffffff. No way. We don’t have to give him a break. He IS a celebrity. A public figure. A supposed role-model. With trophies. And millions. And a super-star tennis girlfriend. Open for scrutiny.
This is the modern world. A Twitter world. We can all have our say.
Paul
Mar 2, 2013 at 6:21 pm
We can also be green with envy.
Colin Gillbanks
Mar 5, 2013 at 9:59 am
G,
You forgot to include ‘human being’ in your list.