Had they suffered the kind of defeat that Rory McIlroy suffered at Pinehurst last month, many people would have burned their golf clubs, changed their names and disappeared into the hills, never to return.
Rory McIlroy? Well, he just changed his phone number.
“I went from being very disappointed and dejected to trying to focus on the positive, then to wanting to learn from the negative and then getting to the point where I was excited and motivated to get back out there,” McIlroy said Tuesday ahead of this week’s Open Championship.
McIlroy returned to golf last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, but this is his first real test at a major tournament since the U.S. Open. McIlroy has a track record of bouncing back from adversity (he won his first major after his 2011 Masters debacle) and is already one of the favorites to win this week at Royal Troon.
“It’s funny how your mindset can go from, I don’t want to see a golf course for a month. to like it four days later to be, I can’t wait to have another chance.” he said. “When that disappointment turns into motivation, that’s when it’s time to try again.” How long did it take him to make that transition? “Three, four days.”
McIlroy spent the time immediately after the loss getting lost in Manhattan, wearing Airpods. “It’s liberating in a way,” he said. “I think trying to find joy in the little things in life is really important. Going there in particular is a nice reset, just in terms of seeing everyone living their lives and the hustle and bustle. Honestly, no one cared if I missed the putt at Pinehurst. It’s a nice perspective to keep.”
As for the phone number? Blame the media. McIlroy said he received about a dozen text messages from members of the media and decided it was time to step away, so he changed his number. That led to the odd circumstance of not receiving a condolence message from Tiger Woods.
“I didn’t understand it until he told me (Tuesday). I said, ‘Oh, thank you very much,'” McIlroy said. “So I beat Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing.”
McIlroy will tee off at 5:09 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday alongside Max Homa and Tyrrell Hatton.