Rory McIlroy was once called out by ex-European Tour pro for "sign of madness" amid his inconsistent run

Rory McIlroy was called out by former European Tour player Jamie Spence for being inconsistent at the beginning of 2024. Spence suggested at the time that Mcllroy needed to make changes to his team to improve his consistency.

Spence made the comments at the end of March this year on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast. At that point in the season, McIlroy had played in five tournaments on the PGA Tour. He started with a T66 on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am followed by a T24 at the The Genesis Invitational. He tied for 21st at the Cognizant Classic as well as at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His best finish up to that point had come at the Players Championship where he tied for 19th. Following these results, two-time European Tour winner Jamie Spence said (via Daily Express),

"I'm not his coach, he's been with the same team, they've been making the same mistakes. It's a sign of madness isn't it, expecting a different result from the same actions. You've got to change something, he's got to change something."

Michael Bannon has coached the Irish player since childhood.

Spence added, however,

"He's such a good player but even within his streakiness, he can finish fifth, 10th, and keep those results going along. He can still do that. But he's always been up and down and you just wait for Rory to get back on the surfboard and back on the wave. When he does that, he's near unbeatable. So I don't worry about Rory."

In the podcast, 61-year-old Spence also said that Mcllroy's swing lacked confidence. He said that even though Mcllroy wasn't missing cuts or playing poorly, he lacked conviction. Spence had pointed at issues with the World No. 2 swing, calling them "gremlins."

Here's a look at Rory McIlroy's performances before Jamie Spence's comments:

2023-24 DP World Tournaments

• Dubai Invitational: T2 (62-70-67-67, 266, -18)
• Hero Dubai Desert Classic: 1 (71-70-63-70, 274, -14)

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: T66 (71-74-69, 214, -2)
• The Genesis Invitational: T24 (74-66-69-70, 279, -5)
• Cognizant Classic: T21 (67-67-72-68, 274, -10)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational: T21 (73-70-68-76, 287, -1)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: T19 (65-73-69-72, 279, -9)

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How did Rory McIlroy perform after Jamie Spence's comments?

Since Jamie Spence called out Rory McIlroy for being inconsistent, the Irish golfer has had two wins and nine top-10 finishes in 18 starts. He also had three runner-ups, two on the DP World Tour and one on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy won the Wells Fargo Championship and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans paired with Shane Lowry. He finished in runner-up positions at the US Open, the Amgen Irish Open, and the BMW PGA Championship.

Here's a look at Rory McIlroy's performances after Jamie Spence's comments:

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

• Valero Texas Open: 3 (69-70-72-66, 277, -11)
• Masters Tournament: T22 (71-77-71-73, 292, +4)
• RBC Heritage: T33 (67-68-68-74, 277, -7)
• Wells Fargo Championship: 1 (67-68-67-65, 267, -17)
• PGA Championship: T12 (66-71-68-67, 272, -12)
• RBC Canadian Open: T4 (66-72-65-64, 267, -13)
• the Memorial Tournament: T15 (70-71-73-76, 290, +2)
• U.S. Open: 2 (65-72-69-69, 275, -5)
• Genesis Scottish Open: T4 (65-66-67-68, 266, -14)
• The Open: Missed Cut (78-75, 153, +11)
• FedEx St. Jude Championship: T68 (68-73-74-74, 289, +9)
• BMW Championship: T11 (70-71-70-71, 282, -6)
• TOUR Championship: T9 (69-69-68-66, 272, -16)

2023-24 DP World Tournaments

• Amgen Irish Open: 2 (68-70-69-69, 276, -8)
• BMW PGA Championship: T2-y (67-68-66-67, 268, -20)
• Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: T25 (69-69-68-68, 274, -14)

2024 OLY Golf (M) Tournaments

• Olympic Men's Golf Competition: T5 (68-69-66-66, 269, -15)