"I blanked Tiger Woods"- Rory McIlroy jokes about mistakenly ghosting 15x Major champion on text after 2024 US Open loss

Though Tiger Woods has won more Majors than almost anyone, he has also lost them like Rory McIlroy has. The Irishman suffered an astonishing defeat at the 2024 US Open, and he receded from view as a result.

During this tough time, people reached out to McIlroy, including Woods. However, Woods never heard back. In fact, McIlroy didn't even know the 15-time Major winner had even texted him.

The Irishman said:

"Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the US Open, so I didn't get it until he told me about it today. I was like, 'Oh, thanks very much.' I blanked Tiger Woods, which was probably not a great thing."

He went on to say that Woods has been "nothing but incredible" to McIlroy throughout his career. He said Woods has frequently been a good friend during tough times, citing his loss at St. Andrews in 2022.

He continued, adding that he's known Woods since he was 15 and has a strong relationship with him:

"It means a lot that he reached out. It also means a lot that he waited a few days to reach out... It's always nice when your hero and the guy that you had on your bedroom wall is reaching out."

Both McIlroy and Woods will seek to add to their legacies this weekend. McIlroy will try to add a fifth Major title and his first in a decade, while Woods will attempt to stun the world by winning his first Major in five years at the age of 48.

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Tiger Woods addresses Rory McIlroy's collapse

Tiger Woods knows what Rory McIlroy went through at the US Open. His two missed putts, both from a distance from which he'd made nearly 500 in a row, allowed Bryson DeChambeau to seize the victory.

Tiger Woods empathized with Rory McIlroy (Source: GETTY)

Woods said even as champions like he, Rory McIlroy, and others are, losses happen. Via ESPN, he noted:

"Unfortunately, it just happened, and the raw emotion of it, it's still there, and it's going to be there for, I'm sure, some time. The faster he's able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week, the better it is for him."

Woods turned the focus to his own illustrious career, noting that there are plenty of horrible missed putts. He cited Michael Jordan, who missed a ton of shots to win games.

The PGA Tour star added:

"You see all the game-winning shots, but also, he's missed a ton of game-winning shots, too. The thing is you still take the game-winning shot, and I still want the last putt."

Perhaps Woods will make a last putt this weekend, as he is trying to make the cut for the first time in 2024 since the Masters in April.