The Masters champ gets rattled by slow-play warnings during his Irish homecoming

Rory McIlroy found himself in familiar territory at the Irish Open today – not just playing on home soil, but getting put on the clock for slow play. The world number two was visibly frustrated after his group with Thriston Lawrence and Kristoffer Reitan received not one, but two slow-play warnings during their opening round at The K Club. “In all honesty I felt a little rushed out there for the last 12 holes,” said the Northern Irishman after shooting a one-under 71.

The Masters Champion’s Meltdown

McIlroy admitted to The Telegraph that he did all he could to avoid “losing my s— with officials.” His frustration was palpable as he bogeyed two of his last three holes following the second warning. “I don’t think they use common sense in terms of, well, of course we’re going to lose ground because we’re going to have to wait on crowds and wait on the two camera crews that are out there,” he added. The man who completed golf’s career Grand Slam in April clearly felt the officials weren’t accounting for the circus that follows a Masters champion playing in his homeland.

Pattern Recognition Problem

“It’s happened to me quite a lot before in these sort of big groups when I come back to Europe and play and I just let it agitate me,” he said. “Any time I either come back to this tour or I play in some of those [world’s No] 1, 2, 3 groups, we are always put on the clock for the same reason. It happened at The Players [in March] and I lost my s— with an official.” It’s becoming a broken record – McIlroy’s star power creates logistical nightmares that officials seemingly can’t adjust for.

The 2025 Success Story

Despite Thursday’s frustrations, McIlroy is having the year of his professional life. In April, he finally conquered Augusta National, completing the career Grand Slam with a playoff victory over Justin Rose to claim his first green jacket. He also captured The Players Championship in March and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier in the year, not to mention claiming his sixth Race to Dubai title in late 2024.

The Ultimate Goal

But McIlroy revealed what would truly cap off his magical 2025: “If we were to win an away Ryder Cup with everything else that I’ve been through this year, 2025 would be the best year of my career.” “I guess it’s the year that everything came together for me,” McIlroy said. “It was basically the one piece of the puzzle that was left for me to complete.” With the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black just weeks away, Europe’s talisman has his sights set on something that hasn’t been done since 2012 – winning on American soil.

What Goes Around

After his round, McIlroy took time to meet with fans while wearing his green jacket, displaying the trophies that completed his Grand Slam collection. It’s a reminder that despite the slow-play theatrics, this is still a golfer who has achieved everything the sport offers – well, almost everything. That elusive away Ryder Cup victory remains the final cherry on top of what’s already been an extraordinary year.