A little over a year ago, Pinehurst No. 2 saw one of the worst meltdowns of Rory McIlroy. The Irishman was in the perfect position to end his major drought. A series of errors in the last 18, and he essentially gifted the title to Bryson DeChambeau. The 18th hole bogey was the nail in the coffin. Distraught about choking once again after finishing runner-up in 2023 as well, McIlroy stormed off the course, and that didn’t sit well with anyone. Fast-forward to today, and the Irishman has grown a lot over the past year. And he displayed that at The Renaissance Club.

McIlroy lost the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open to Chris Gotterup after another last-round blunder. He was tied with Chris after 54 holes, but he couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity and only managed a 2-under in the final round. However, unlike the Pinehurst No. 2 outburst, this time around, he chose to stick around and support his rival. As posted by the DP World Tour, McIlroy was seen patting Gotterup’s back as the latter was submitting his scorecard.

This might come as a big surprise to some who have observed the world #2’s behavior over the past few months. After becoming the Grand Slam champion, McIlroy has shown little to no compassion towards his opponents and the media. He was ignoring attending interviews, leaving courses without a word regularly, and just didn’t seem to be in the right frame of mind. However, in Scotland, fans saw a different side of the Irishman.

Everyone appreciated how Rory McIlroy handled the situation. And they mentioned that in the comments section. Let’s see what they had to say.

Rory McIlroy’s actions win many hearts

Fans loved the 36-year-old’s gesture as he stuck around despite a disappointing loss. Understanding that he might be hurting himself, one of them wrote, “It’s OK Rory 👏👏 keep on going you are the Best 🔥,” trying to console him. Even though he was patting Gotterup’s back, McIlroy did look a bit disappointed that he couldn’t convert the great performance to a win. He was spectacular in the second and third rounds, posting 65-66 respectively to give himself the edge going into Sunday. Everyone was hoping he would go into The Open on the back of a win.

Speaking of The Open Championship 2025, someone said, “He is 100% class. Here’s to an open win at Portrush next week. 🏌️‍♀️⛳️💯” While complimenting him for his class behavior, they showed confidence in McIlroy to grab the Claret Jug on home soil next week. The Irishman is certainly the favorite to win The Open for the second time and to do so at the ‘Royal’ Portrush.

Another fan reflected on Rors’ disappointment after losing. They said, “You could see how much it hurt him on the final hole as well. He loves to win, but world-class sportsmanship always.” Being the world #2, nothing would hurt him more than not converting a great lead to a win. However, for him to still show the sportsmanship to congratulate his rival for the day shows how much he has grown over the last year. Or maybe the Career Grand Slam win has helped McIlroy gain some perspective.

Appreciating his kind nature, a comment read, “Quality and humble from @rorymcilroy! Class act and will always be a big fan of him! #heartherors.” After the way he behaved, maybe Gotterup would have also become a fan of him today. Not every day do you get your toughest opponent to stick around to support you even after you beat them. This is not the first time McIlroy’s humble nature was on display. He was also seen spending some time with a Make-A-Wish kid, 7-year-old Michael Horgan, back in 2023 during the Irish Open.

One of the fans brought up something intriguing they noticed about Rory McIlroy towards the end of the Genesis Scottish Open. They wrote, “What made me kinda glad was the whole time he was smiling and laughing, which made it seem like he really wasn’t that concerned about the outcome even on the last hole.” Grouped with Chris Gotterup, he saw the former make the putt that gave him the win. And he didn’t seem upset after the 72 holes were completed. Anyone who watched the tournament would have seen him clapping for Gotterup and congratulating him on the green.