Rory McIlroy admits he 'blanked Tiger Woods' after changing phone number following U.S. Open meltdown

Bryan Murphy

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Rory McIlroy admits he 'blanked Tiger Woods' after changing phone number following U.S. Open meltdown image

Everyone knows the feeling of getting ghosted.

You send a text to that special individual, in the hopes of getting a response back that sparks a dialogue, only to see the minutes turn to hours, turn to days, turn to weeks. The reality of the situation sets in, and you move on in a shroud of disappointment. 

Turns out, that can happen to golfers too.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are both preparing for this weekend's Open Championship in Scotland. The fourth and final major of the PGA season is set to be played at Royal Troon, where someone will claim the prestigious Claret Jug. 

McIlroy is coming off a performance he'd let to forget at the last major. The Northern Irishman was in full control of the leaderboard heading into the final four holes, before falling apart on the green and allowing Bryson DeChambeau to make the come-from-behind win. 

Woods elected to offer his colleague words of encouragement following the debacle, only McIlroy didn't realize that message was sent, and never offered a response back. The World No. 2 golfer changed his phone number following the outcome at Pinehurst, and didn't realize the legend sent him a kind message. 

"Full disclosure: I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, and so I didn't get [Woods' text] until he told me about it today," McIlroy said at Tuesday's press conference. "So I was like, 'Thanks very much.' So I blanked Tiger Woods, which was probably not a great thing."

McIlroy and Woods have had a close relationship over the years. The two are veterans of the sport, and each have enjoyed an immense amount of success while on the PGA Tour. Woods has 15 major wins on his resume, and is one of five players to have secured a modern Grand Slam. McIlroy is a four-time major champion, and is a Masters win away from a career Grand Slam, joining Woods in that category. 

"Tiger has been nothing but incredible to me over the course of my career," McIlroy said. "In the good moments and in the bad ... It means a lot that he reached out.

"It's always nice when your hero, the guy you had on your bedroom wall, is reaching out and offering words of encouragement."

MORE: Full tee times for Rounds 1 & 2 at 2024 Open Championship

Here is more on what Woods told McIlroy in the text message. 

What did Tiger Woods text Rory McIlroy?

Woods did not divulge too much into the "nice" message he sent McIlroy, but he did offer a bit of insight. 

After McIlroy crumbled to end the 2024 U.S. Open, missing out on a chance to win his second major at the tournament, Woods said he waited a week before sending a text to McIlroy in the hopes of lifting his spirit. 

"I just sent him a nice text, that was it," Woods said. "I waited a week before I sent it. I just wanted everything to calm down ... I just sent a nice text, that's it."

Woods said that all he wanted to do was remind McIlroy that he was there for him 

MORE: Tiger Woods fires back at Colin Montgomerie's retirement comments

"Just basically, as you know, I'm your friend," Woods said about the message to McIlroy. "I know this is a difficult moment. We've all been there as champions, we all lose. Unfortunately it just happened. The raw emotion of it is still there, and I'm sure it's going to be there for some time. The faster he's able to get back on the horse and back into contention like he said last week, the better it is for him."

There would be no sweeter way for McIlroy to rebound than to secure a win in Scotland. McIlroy won the 2014 Open Championship, but has not lifted the Claret Jug since. He has four top-five finishes at the event since then, and finished sixth in 2023.

What happened to Rory McIlroy at U.S. Open?

In June, McIlroy was four holes away from winning this year's U.S. Open. Sitting at 8-under par, the Northern Irishman was in the driver's seat, holding a one-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau as the fourth and final round was winding down. 

Then, disaster struck, as McIlroy managed to bogey three of the final four holes, seeing his score drop and his lead jeopardized. All he could do was watch from off the course as DeChambeau sank a putt for par on No. 18, securing his second career major. 

Bogey on No. 15

McIlroy's demise began on No. 15 at Pinehurst. At the time, he was 8-under, holding a one-stroke lead over DeChambeau for first place. However, he was unable to get up and down from outside the green, and he was forced to settle for a bogey. 

The hole dropped his score to 7-under, bringing him into a brief tie with DeChambeau. While he didn't miss a putt on this hole, it proved to be a missed opportunity.

DeChambeau three-putted for bogey on No. 14 right after, giving McIlroy the lead back for a short period of time. 

MORE: Which major has Rory McIlroy not won?

Missed putt on No. 16

McIlroy had a chance to redeem himself after DeChambeau's bogey on No. 14 that cost him a share of first place.

The Northern Irishman did not take advantage.

The world No. 3 golfer got onto the green and was in position to two-putt for par, which would have kept him one stroke ahead of the LIV Golf pro for the top of the leaderboard. Instead of capitalizing on the opportunity, McIlroy responded with a three-putt of his own, as his shot from four feet lipped around the hole and out. 

It was McIlroy's first miss in 496 attempts from inside three feet all year.

McIlroy fell to 6-under par, bringing him back to a tie with DeChambeau for first place. However, he still had two holes left to work some magic and claim the 2024 U.S. Open. 

Missed putt on No. 18

A par on No. 17 meant that McIlroy was essentially in control of his own destiny. At best, a birdie would give him the lead and put all the pressure on DeChambeau to find a birdie himself over the last two holes. A par would have kept the score even and, again, put the focus on DeChambeau to hit par and force a playoff or sink a birdie for the win. 

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The last thing McIlroy wanted to do was put DeChambeau in a position where all he needed was a par on No. 18 for the win — and that's exactly what happened. 

All McIlroy needed to do was sink a four-foot putt to keep his score at 6-under, putting the heat on DeChambeau in the process. Instead, his fourth shot on No. 18 missed to the right, causing the crowd to groan in disbelief. 

For the third time in the last four holes, McIlroy bogeyed, losing another stroke and falling into second place. With McIlroy at 5-under, all DeChambeau needed was a par on the final hole to stay at 6-under and victory was his. 

DeChambeau's second shot went into the bucker, but he saved himself with an incredible chip from the sand, putting the ball less than 10 feet away from the green. He sank the putt for par, claiming victory in the process. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.