So when Steve Elkington, a 54-year-old one-time major victor (1995 PGA Championship) out of Australia who never finished better than T21 at the U.S. Open, made a decision to call out McIlroy on Twitter, he was quick to respond.
McIlroy was actually in quite a buoyant mood after posting his 71 to stand on five-over, having played his last six holes in four-under.
"Rory is so bored playiing golf.without Tiger the threshold is prolly 4 majors with 100mill in bank", Elkington wrote on Twitter.
Of course, Elkington couldn't let it go and tweeted the following.
That tweet included a screenshot of McIlroy's achievements on the course.
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Elkington then attempted to dismiss McIlroy as a "money guy" (although we're sure he would have gladly accepted the winnings if his career had been more successful). "I'm looking forward to playing some golf over the summer to get some rounds in and improve on what I've shown this week". But at least I know it's in there, it's just a matter of getting it out of me.
All this easily explains why he turned up at a US Open course that would normally play to his strengths but could only deliver what's known in the trade as "tight" golf, where there is no fluidity in the swing.
"I feel like I'm capable", said McIlroy when asked how he rates his prospects of shooting a low number in round two. "I don't think there's anything we can read into his game", he said.
The US Open was only his seventh appearance of the year, following two lay-offs caused by a rib injury plus a few weeks away from golf to celebrate his wedding to American beauty Erica Stoll. Perhaps that's to do with the unusually low scores posted in the opening round.
"I missed the cut, but I'm optimistic going forward".
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