Connor Steichen

Yes, winning the career grand slam in golf is a great achievement. But here’s a harsh truth: I will never be a Rory McIlroy fan, even if he wins another 10 Masters. I used to be a big Rory fan. Even 5 years ago, I’d be ecstatic with yesterday’s result. Not anymore. I think he’s a sore loser. I think he can be a petulant child. He was divisive when he could have been a bridge. I think he sets a bad example on how to treat others. All of those are choices. As I learned more, my opinion evolved. I also think he’s a puppet. I think he represents some of the worst of golf culture in that he’s been coddled by everyone in the establishment because so much💰has been invested in him. The Corrupt Golf Media be-clowned themselves with how badly they wanted him to win The Masters. It’s one thing to root for history. Thats not what that was. From the CBS broadcast to the Sky Sports broadcast to Golf Channel to people like Jamie Weir, Kyle Porter, the No Laying Up collective, and Eamon Lynch. We’re talking dozens at this point - I can go on and on. The CGM collective - there was not a single person out of position - that’s how echo chambers work. Lynch had the audacity to write: “He is everything this game needs.” How? Do we need more bad sportsmen and sore losers? No, we need gracious players in defeat like Justin Rose. We need players willing to do new things to grow golf like Bryson DeChambeau. We certainly don’t need players to scoff at YouTube golf (as Rory has done) or scoff at Champions Tour golf (as Rory has done). And don’t even get me started on his stances on team golf, the Ryder Cup, Olympics & LIV Golf - the flip flopping is enough to make people dizzy. I’m not even sure how invested he is in TGL - if it wasn’t for the T & M in TMRW, TGL wouldn’t be a thing. Yet the media anoints him as “what this game needs.” Yes, there must be some virtue I’m missing in taking a fan’s phone over an innocuous heckling.🙄 He even got a pass from the media on THAT and the FAN got reprimanded! Unreal. 🤦🏽‍♂️ He’s protected by the establishment in a way that other players aren’t, except Tiger. Why? Because he is the golf establishment now. If he were to leave the PGAT by retiring (as he suggested if he ever were to win the Masters) or go back to the UK and not return to the Tour, they would crumble more than they already are. The NLU love fest sounded like giddy 10 year olds. To Kyle Porter and KVV high fiving each other. To Eamon Lynch trying to get a hug before the green jacket ceremony. Dottie Pepper getting the hug Eamon longed for. Again I get rooting for history - many golf fans do. But this was beyond. Are you fans or is this your job? It’s an embarrassment. All of it. The golf media (as we knew it years ago) is dead. It’s corrupted beyond repair. There is no objectivity. It’s all fan culture now. It’s unsalvageable. Rory’s win cemented it. Maybe that’s just where we’re at in sports/golf. There is no money in objectivity. The money is in division, tribalism & catering to your audience. That’s certainly not changing. Anyway, for me there’s no going back on Rory. Sure, great talent/ability and resiliency are admirable traits and Rory has shown these more than most. Mostly why I was a fan. But it does not come close to outweighing all the negative traits he’s shown the last few years that has turned many many fans away. I’m FOR SURE not the only one - the amount of negativity from casual fans towards this win (seemingly ignored by the media) has been eye opening to me. If you want to turn a blind eye to that, it’s fine, many have. But this should be acknowledged. To be clear: I’m not telling you to not be a fan of Rory McIlroy - everyone is entitled to their own opinion and no one is perfect. But don’t let history get in the way and cloud the reality of everything around Rory. The CGM echo chamber should be crystal clear now to anyone half-awake. Much more to come.