Tiger Woods believes Rory McIlroy will have ‘raw emotion’ from US Open for some time

Tiger Woods believes Rory McIlroy will face the “raw emotion” of his heartbreaking US Open loss for some time. McIlroy had briefly held a two-shot lead with five holes to play at Pinehurst but bogeyed three of the last four holes, missing short putts on the 16th and the last hole to finish a shot behind Bryson DeChambeau. Despite this setback, McIlroy has received support from sports stars like Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal, and Woods himself.

“I just sent him a nice text,” Woods said during his press conference ahead of the 152nd Open Championship. He waited a week to send the message to allow McIlroy time to process the loss. “Just basically, as you know, I’m your friend. I know this is a difficult moment. We’ve all been there as champions. We all lose. Unfortunately, it just happened and the raw emotion of it, it’s still there and it’s going to be there for, I’m sure, some time.”

Woods emphasized the importance of McIlroy returning to competition soon, noting his strong performance in the Scottish Open as a positive sign. McIlroy admitted he felt uncomfortable during his par putt on the 16th hole, a sentiment Woods could relate to. “Nervous, shaky, uncomfortable, yeah, all of it,” Woods said. “That’s part of it. That’s why you love it. That’s why we practice, to build up ourselves in that one uncomfortable situation and bury it.”

Reflecting on his career, Woods mentioned his hardest loss: the 2009 US PGA Championship, where he failed to win a Major after leading for 54 holes. “That took a little bit of time to get over because I had made some pretty stupid mistakes in the middle part of the round,” Woods said. “I made a huge rally at the end, but too late. I made too many mistakes in the middle. You can’t afford to make the mistakes that I made and expect to win tournaments. I know better than that.”

Woods dismissed talk of imminent retirement, responding to comments by Colin Montgomerie, who suggested he should quit the game. “Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not,” Woods replied. “He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt, so he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do. I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.” Woods confirmed his belief in his ability to win despite his struggles over the last two years.

Montgomerie later clarified his comments on social media, stating that his quotes were taken out of context and wishing Woods a successful week.

Woods acknowledges that he has not been able to reproduce his best golf in recent years, especially as tournaments now favor longer driving distances. However, he believes the Open Championship, with its emphasis on accuracy over distance on links courses, remains a realistic opportunity for him to compete. “The older you get the less you can carry the golf ball, but over here, you can run the golf ball 100 yards if you get the right wind and the right trajectory,” said Woods, who won the Open in 2000, 2005, and 2006.

He added that he has been training hard and feels his body is in better condition, allowing him to hit the ball more effectively.