“I’ve felt so sorry for Rory McIlroy”: 9-time Major winner discusses Northern Irishman’s struggles at golf’s biggest stage

Rory McIlroy has been a little bit snakebit in Major tournaments over the years. He has come close and suffered agonizing defeats since his last win in 2014, yet none of them are as painful as the 2024 US Open. With a lead in hand, McIlroy missed two three-foot putts on the final three holes, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to par for the win on the 18th hole.

It was a stunning defeat, one that forced McIlroy into taking some time off before last week's Genesis Scottish Open. With a Major on deck for McIlroy, all eyes are on him. That includes Gary Player's, and the nine-time Major winner is rooting for McIlroy.

"It would be a blessing if Rory could come along this week and win. So I'm pulling for Rory... I have felt so sorry for Rory McIlroy, what's happened to him in the Majors in the last x amount of years, and I'm a big Rory fan. Rory's not winning the Majors like he should be doing. So I just think it would be a blessing after what happened in the US Open," Player said.

Player believes that McIlroy deserves a bounceback after having the US Open win "in the palm of his hand". So he is openly rooting for McIlroy. The Irishman last won a Major in 2014, putting him at five total and one shy of a career Grand Slam.

Since then, there have been close calls and tough losses, but he arguably had his sixth career Major win in the bag as DeChambeau was fading down the stretch at the US Open. For the final time in 2024, Rory McIlroy now has a chance to right the wrongs of the past and add to his legacy.

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Rory McIlroy opens up on unlikely support system

After he lost the US Open in disastrous fashion, two sports superstars reportedly reached out to Rory McIlroy to help him through a tough time. Rafael Nadal and Michael Jordan, according to the golfer, reached out to help him overcome what was one of his career's most troubling losses.

Rory McIlroy got support from two unlikely legends

Via the Guardian, he said:

“Two of the most unbelievable competitors that have ever been in sport. MJ was maybe the first person to text me after I missed the putt on the 18th but both of them got in touch very, very quickly. They just told me to keep going. MJ reminded me of how many game-winning shots he missed. Really nice.”

McIlroy will now try to put their advice to good use. He is one of the favorites at the Open Championship, though he also has to contend with Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Åberg in that regard. A rematch with Bryson DeChambeau is certainly not out of the question, either.