Rory McIlroy has known abject humiliation in his golf career. He stood alone in the pines alongside Augusta National’s 10th hole in 2011 as his Masters lead evaporated. He could only watch as Cam Smith blazed past him in 2022 at St. Andrews in an Open Championship that was McIlroy’s for the taking. Never has McIlroy been humiliated like he was on Tuesday.
After a year and a half of caping for the PGA Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan, a year and a half of serving as the point of the spear, McIlroy had to just sit and watch as the PGA Tour cut a deal with the opposition.