Rory McIlroy departed Pennsylvania with a sense of relief following a challenging weekend at the 2025 U.S. Open. The golfer, 36, concluded the tournament tied for 19th place at Oakmont Country Club, trailing the winner, J.J. Spaun, by eight strokes.
Frustration marked McIlroy's performance; on Friday, June 13, he was seen smashing a tee marker with his club and throwing his club down the fairway after a disappointing shot. By the end of the tournament, he expressed eagerness to move on from the experience.
“It’s always nice to get home,” he remarked to reporters post-round on Sunday. “I feel like I live two different lives. I’m a dad and a husband when I’m away from here, and then I’m who I am when I’m here. It’s always nice to get away and feel a bit of normality.”
Notably absent from Oakmont were McIlroy’s wife, Erica Stoll, and their four-year-old daughter, Poppy. The couple had briefly filed for divorce in May 2024 but reconciled the following month.
As they build a new home in the UK, McIlroy is gearing up for a busy summer golf schedule. “We’ve got a lot to look forward to, got our new house in London, [playing] the Scottish [Open] and then obviously The Open [Championship] at Portrush,” he stated. “Just trying to get myself in the right frame of mind to approach that.”
The Open Championship is set for July 17-20 at Royal Portrush Golf Club, located about 60 miles from McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood, Ireland. Before that, he will compete in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut this weekend, followed by the Genesis Scottish Open starting July 10 at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.
When questioned about his visible frustration during the U.S. Open, McIlroy redirected the focus to the media. “It’s more a frustration with you guys,” he said on Saturday, highlighting his increasingly strained relationship with reporters.
His decision to limit media interactions has become more frequent in recent months. “I’ve been totally available for the last few years,” he noted. “I’m not saying — maybe not you guys, but maybe more just the whole thing.”
When asked if his status as one of golf's prominent figures warranted some leniency from the media, McIlroy responded confidently. “I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah,” he asserted.
