New York Golf Club handed Rory McIlroy a brutal reminder of his heartbreak at the US Open last summer, poking fun at one of the Northern Irishman’s missed putts during Monday’s TGL action.
McIlroy and his Boston Common teammates were battling to remain in the competition in their clash with New York, having gone winless in their opening four games. It proved another tough night for the four-time major winner though, as Boston lost 7-6, resulting in their elimination.
Rory McIlroy was trolled by New York Golf Club (Image: Getty Images)
It was early on in the evening when McIlroy was trolled by his rivals, after he missed a putt from short range at the opening hole for par, before conceding to put New York 1-0 up.
The official New York social channels were quick to jump on McIlroy’s miss, comparing it to the attempts he saw slide by at last season’s US Open, which cost him his first major title in 10 years. “Didn’t know we were playing Pinehurst,” New York tweeted along with a clip of McIlroy’s miss.
The Northern Irishman infamously missed two close range efforts at the 16th and 18th at Pinehurst No. 2 last June, which saw him surrender the lead late on to eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau. Following his hole one error on Monday, McIlroy and his team did battle their way back into the contest.
With four holes to go they found themselves 6-5 up on their opponents, however two clever uses of ‘The Hammer’ – a rule that sees points on a hole doubled to two when called by a team – by New York saw them pull away down the stretch, eventually prevailing 10-6.
It ensured Boston were unable to qualify for the post-regular season playoffs, having failed to win a single match during their maiden season at the SoFi Center. It will have been a bitter pill to swallow for McIlroy, having been one of the founders of the league alongside Tiger Woods.
Despite this, the Boston star remained positive about his team’s first campaign, having seen TGL come to life over recent weeks. “It’s been a lot of fun being in here, competing against the best players in the world, competing with some of the best players in the world. Yeah, it’s fun.
“Look, I’ve been sort of a part of this since it was just an idea, so to see it come to life this year and to see the reception to it, that’s been really, really cool and something that I know I’m very proud of and all the team behind this concept are very proud of, as well.”
It was a bad night all round for two of the league’s founders, as Woods and his Jupiter Links GC team were also eliminated following New York’s victory. New York join Atlanta Drive, The Bay and Los Angeles in the playoffs.
