Rory McIlroy announced he will be taking a brief hiatus from golf after his disastrous end to the US Open, with Colin Montgomerie suggesting his marriage woes may have played a part in his downfall.
Colin Montgomerie suggests that Rory McIlroy’s intermittent separation from his wife Erica Stoll could have influenced his catastrophic performance at the US Open.
Rory McIlroy, aged 35, recently declared his decision to temporarily step away from the world of golf following a devastating setback at the US Open. Despite being on the brink of triumph, McIlroy’s hopes were dashed as he narrowly failed to secure his first major win in ten years.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, McIlroy’s missed putts ultimately allowed Bryson DeChambeau to claim victory. Clearly devastated, McIlroy left Pinehurst before the trophy ceremony had even commenced.
Shortly before the tournament, McIlroy made public his efforts to reconcile with Stoll, despite their troubled marriage. Montgomerie, a former Ryder Cup captain and five-time major runner-up, believes that this announcement had a significant impact on McIlroy’s performance, as it coincided with his sudden decline.
“Dealing with a divorce is already challenging,” Montgomerie shared on The Sports Agents podcast. “It becomes nearly impossible to focus on the task at hand, which in this case was navigating a highly challenging golf course.”
This course is not your typical birdie-filled experience. Instead, it is an emotionally demanding rollercoaster ride that takes you on a journey of ups and downs. While it is an incredible golf course to play on, it presents a significant mental challenge to overcome.
Indeed, Rory’s personal life has been tumultuous, with a divorce one week followed by public attempts to reconcile the next week. Over the past 10 years, he has endured immense pain and emotional scars in his quest to win a major championship. With only two more opportunities remaining and five holes to go, this was his best chance in the past decade to achieve this long-awaited victory.
Montgomerie has his own theories regarding McIlroy’s collapse, but a statistic that surfaced after the US Open seems to support the 60-year old’s viewpoint. He further stated that it wasn’t just on the 18th hole, but also on the 16th hole where McIlroy missed a very short putt of two and a half feet.
A statistic revealed that McIlroy had successfully holed 490 putts in a row and hadn’t missed a putt under three feet throughout the season. However, the two and a half footer misses cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. It is evident that these misses are a result of what is happening in McIlroy’s mind.
McIlroy announced his decision to take a break from golf by posting on social media: “I’ll be stepping away from the game for a bit to regroup and prepare for the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. Looking forward to seeing you all in Scotland!”
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