Sir Nick Faldo has given his opinion on Rory McIlroy’s mood after completing the career grand slam.
The 2025 Masters winner, McIlroy, has been in a disgruntled mood since completing the career grand slam at Augusta. He has been in a frosty mood with the media in recent months, not attending press conferences, and is winless since the Masters.
But since returning to Europe, the Northern Irishman looks to have returned to high spirits. McIlroy was second at the Genesis Scottish Open and looks refreshed and ready to take on his home country course at Royal Portrush.
McIlroy’s attitude post-Masters has come under question, however, but Faldo said that he thinks that isn’t fair to him.
Nick Faldo says people are being ‘unfair’ to Rory McIlroy, ‘we don’t know how you’re meant to react’
Faldo, a six-time major winner including three Open Championships, says it isn’t right to question McIlroy’s attitude, or express how he should be feeling after completing the career grand slam.
On the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, he said, “To be honest, we’re being a little unfair. Only Gary [Player], Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods] can tell you what it feels like to win the career grand slam. It’s something pretty monumental, so we don’t know how you’re meant to react.
“We all thought that after going 11 years and finally doing it, he’s going to relax, but maybe things felt weird for a while. Maybe it takes time. I’m not sure that happens the next day. Our game is never like, ‘ah, freedom’.”
There is no room to relax this weekend. McIlroy enters The Open Championship with the weight of expectation on his shoulders in front of his home crowd. Last time he was in this position in 2019, he crumbled, starting with a quadruple bogey and missing the cut.
Faldo showed his concern for McIlroy facing that pressure again.
He said, “He’s got 300,000 people pulling for him here. Whether that works as a positive, I don’t know, but personally, I think he’s got a lot to deal with coming home.”
Rory McIlroy wasn’t ‘mentally prepared’ for Royal Portrush in 2019
Returning to Europe, where McIlroy said he can “hide” from the pressures of the PGA Tour, seems to have been the best thing for him. McIlroy seems happier within himself and with his game, as he came close to winning the Scottish Open a week before The Open Championship.
2019 winner Shane Lowry said McIlroy’s key to success is on the first tee box. Last time here, a nervous McIlroy hooked an iron out of bounds and shot eight on the first hole of the tournament. But he seems in a better space mentally here.
Speaking before the championships, McIlroy reflected on 2019.
He said, “I was a little taken aback, like ‘these people really want me to win’. That brought pressure, and internally from myself, and not wanting to let people down. It was something I didn’t mentally prepare for.”
He continued, “I learned pretty quickly that one of my challenges in a week like this is controlling myself. The battle on the last day of the Masters was with myself.
“Whenever you get put in environments like that, it’s you trying to overcome your mind and try to give yourself the clarity to put together a really good performance.”