Chubby Chandler managed Rory McIlroy in the early years of his career. Photo: Getty Images/Jamie Squire
Former manager of Rory Makil Charoy. believes the Northern Irishman has «been addicted to the mouthpiece of the PGA Tour» and should just focus on his golf if he wants to complete a career Grand Slam.
Speaking of McIlroy missing out on the Masters last week — the only major player missing from McIlroy's treasury is Chandler, who said his former client «did things he shouldn't have done and opened his mouth too much.»
He added that unless the situation changes, he did not expect his former player to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Gary Player as players who have won all four major golf tournaments.
«If you were a bettor, you would probably bet against him [doing this],» Chandler told The i. “In his head, winning the Grand Slams [all four majors] has become something more to him than he really is.
“He is not really driven by the number of wins or the number of big tournaments per se, but he seems to be driven by the desire to win a Grand Slam tournament. It's a huge mental block and it's getting harder and harder. Every time he gets there, he is pressured by everyone else, but also by himself.”
Chandler recalled a young player he first took on at age 17 who had nothing on his mind «other than hitting a golf ball». Now, he says, McIlroy's time and space has been filled with sponsorship commitments, television commitments and, above all, as the «political leader» of the PGA Tour in his ongoing battle with the rebellious LIV Golf series.
“For me, he got carried away as a mouthpiece for the PGA Tour. He does things he shouldn't and opens his mouth too often. The fairway interview [at the Masters], absolutely brilliant television, but not very good for Rory McIlroy. You can't chat with a guy in the comments about the day and how he plays or whatever and then get over the wedge and give it 100 percent. You would never force Niklaus to do this. You would never force Tiger [Woods] to do that.»
McIlroy was criticized for allowing an interview in live during his first Master Round Credit: Sky Sports
Chandler added, «You can't ignore what he did. He is a fantastically talented golfer who has amassed a huge bank account, his parents are taken care of, he has a wonderful little family, and his best friend in business. I see no reason to complain. I'm sure he's very happy with his life now.
“He hires everyone around him. He has no one to tell that this is wrong, why are you saying this, why are you doing this? Nothing like this. Fair play, he's his own man, he makes his own mistakes and apologizes for them. But some of what he does doesn't help him and it comes at a cost, and that's probably 10 more tournament wins.» at the Augusta National, a decision that could cost the 33-year-old a staggering $3 million, unless PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan deems extenuating circumstances. It is still unclear if they are, as McIlroy has not yet spoken publicly since he left Augusta.
The $3 million is 25 percent of McIlroy's $12 million purse for second place in the Player Impact Program, which McIlroy himself helped restart last year in response to the LIV threat. Any player who misses more than one of the set number of scheduled PGA Tour events will forfeit a portion of their last year's wallet. McIlroy already missed the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.
Some of the Northern Irishman's fellow pros were asked about the staggering amount of money McIlroy could lose ahead of the Harbor Town start, and most said they felt it. it was fair.
«I feel like Rory led the changes that were made and he helped set the rules,» said Follow Tour pro Joel Damen. “He knew the rules. So he knew he was coming. He also has so much money he doesn't care about $3 million.»
Justin Thomas disagreed with the last point, but also said that McIlroy knew what he was doing. “It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s a lot of money,” said the American. “At the beginning of the year, we all knew what the situation was and what we needed to do to get additional X or Y, and for him Y means a lot in this situation, coming in second place (in the PIP rankings). So it wasn't a surprise to him or to any of us, it was just that he ended up in the rankings and the absence of a game this week I think is a consequence.»
Xander Schauffele said that he hoped that Monahan would clarify the matter sooner rather than later. “This is big money. This is a big deal. A lot of people want to know what's going on,” Schauffele said.
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