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McIlroy Speaks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Miceli | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 5:05 PM ET

Rory McIlroy finally spoke.

After a 4-over 74, the Masters champion assessed his three rounds around Oakmont Country Club as pretty average, as he finished his third round before the leaders teed off on Saturday.

McIlroy had avoided the media after each of his four rounds at the PGA Championship when it was reported that his driver had failed regular testing before the PGA at Quail Hollow.

McIlroy continued to shun the media after his pre-tournament press conference after his first two rounds at the U.S. Open but finally broke his silence on Saturday.

“It's more a frustration with you guys,” McIlroy gave as the reason for not talking to the media. “I'm just, yeah, I don't know. I have, I've been totally available for the last few years, and I'm not saying- maybe not you guys, but maybe more just the whole thing.”

The reporting of the driver's non-conformity at Quail Hollow is part of McIlroy’s frustration, but not all of it. McIlroy believes he has earned the right to pass on a post-round discussion with the media if he chooses to.

“It's not as if -- it's not out of the ordinary,” McIlroy said. “I've done it before; I'm just doing it a little more often.”

By his own admission, McIlroy needed to be and was not patient this week, suggesting that the golf course can quickly cause a player to lose patience and perform poorly.

“I've certainly experienced times where I haven't played the way I've wanted to,” McIlroy said. “So, yeah, like it's not -- I actually feel like I've played okay this week. It's a sort of golf course where the tiniest mistakes get penalized a lot, and that's sort of how it's felt this week.”

After an opening 74, McIlroy needed a decent round on Friday to be around for the weekend and not miss the cut in the U.S. Open since 2018.

“It's funny, like it's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not,” McIlroy said, laughing. “I was sort of thinking; do I really want two more days here or not. So, it makes it easier to play better when you're in that mindset.”

Now, McIlroy has one round to go. At 10-over-par, he is too far back to win, making Father’s Day for McIlroy a different experience than last year at Pinehurst, when he was in the mix for his second U.S. Open title.

“Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here,” Was McIlroy’s wish for Sunday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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