Rory McIlroy’s standoffish approach to the media in recent months has been one of the biggest stories in golf as of late. And everyone, including longtime golf writer Alan Shipnuck, is curious as to why McIlroy has had such a drastic change of heart.
McIlroy has made it incredibly clear recently that unless the PGA Tour implements a requirement for its players to speak to the media after rounds, he will pick and choose when he opts to do so.
Proof of this has been his decision to avoid speaking with reporters after major championship rounds on numerous occasions in recent months, which often correlate with his struggles on the course.
While some suspect McIlroy is simply frustrated with his own lack of consistency since the Masters, McIlroy recently made it clear during the 2025 U.S. Open that his real frustration is with golf media as a whole.
So, why has McIlroy all of a sudden planted his flag that the media is his enemy? Well, Alan Shipnuck, who discussed the topic on the Indo Sports podcast on Thursday, questioned whether McIlroy’s past interest in speaking with the media was entirely a front.
“It’s been fascinating to watch this existential crisis he’s going through since the Masters,” said Shipnuck. “And, you know, everyone has a theory. I think there’s a few things going on, you know. He has talked about it, it’s just the letdown of chasing this dream. But you know, when Phil (Mickelson) won the Masters in 2004 to break through after a dozen years of being the best player without a major. All of the questions about him. That was as cathartic a win as Rory’s was. And Phil just kept going; he had his best year that year. You don’t have to have a huge letdown.
“Rory’s an emotional player, just like Phil was. And I think he’s out of emotion. He just looks so flat on the golf course, and off the golf course. It’s an interesting point, this churlish version of Rory. Is this the real Rory? And for 18 years, it has been this incredible facade where he always said and did the right thing. He was so widely admired and so classy and everyone loved him. We thought that was the real Rory, but was that all pretend and now we’re seeing the real Rory? It makes your head spin thinking about how much he has changed in such a short period of time.”
Shipnuck would further expand on these thoughts, outlining how all media members are doing is asking McIlroy the same questions that fans at home have.
“The thing that’s lost in this debate about the media is that nobody cares about the tender feelings of self-important reporters. He walks by us, and some guys are personally indigent. That doesn’t matter. But we are the stand-ins for the fans. Our job is to represent the fans and ask the questions they wish they could ask when they are at home in their living room watching this. Rory is such a good talker. He adds so much context to what we are witnessing. I would have loved to hear his thoughts on the setup at Oakmont. He didn’t speak, and when he did, it was so short.
“He’s so eloquent when he speaks about the nuts and bolts of golf. It adds important context to the whole event. It’s an entertainment product. Rory’s immaculate, spectacular lifestyle doesn’t exist without golf fans. He’s not flying home in a $70 million dollar jet without the fans. So when you snub the reporters, you are really snubbing fans. It’s not about the press, it’s about disengaging with the fanbase.”
On paper, it sure seems unlikely that McIlroy has put on a friendly front to the media for the past decade plus just to all of a sudden flip after being universally praised after completing the grand slam at Augusta.
But either way, McIlroy’s problems with the media will certainly be at the top of mind for Shipnuck, who is actually in the middle of writing a book about McIlroy that is set to release sometime in 2026.
