Everyone seems fully recovered from the roller coaster ride Rory McIlroy took us on in his stunning victory at The Masters in April. No athlete in the history of sports has ever had more pressure on him than Rory did on that fated Sunday.
It’s not really close either.
I’ve heard John Elway in his 5th Super Bowl after going 0-4 to start his career. That’s not a bad guess, but you’re less exposed in football, and you have a team around you to blame if things go wrong. LeBron James, with the Heat, was under a lot of pressure, but he also had great teammates, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, to share the burden. Roger Maris is not a bad choice when he was trying to break the home run record. The one guy who, in the moment, had the most pressure in history would be Michigan’s Rumeal Robinson in the 1989 NCAA Basketball Championship.
Unlike Rory, his pressure wasn’t the entire day but just a brief moment where he stepped to the free throw line with a 1-1 to win the national championship. If he misses the first, they lose the title to Seton Hall. He made them both! I don’t think that, in the moment, any athlete has ever had more pressure on them in a single moment. Rory had that type of pressure all day. He didn’t handle it as well as Rumeal, but he did enough, and in the Masters playoff, he came up with two clutch shots to secure a birdie and the career Grand Slam. He’s a made man now. It’s the highest honor they can give. It means that nobody can F around with him. It also means he can F around with anybody just as long as they aren’t also a member.
So let’s get to the PGA Championship RAQs (Rarely asked questions)
Why is Rory so open about using a sports psychologist? Shouldn’t he be ashamed?
Yes, he should be. It used to be that if anyone found out you were seeing a therapist of any sort, you were shunned from polite society. Yet here is Rory walking around the golf course with his psychologist, Bob Rotella. I don’t like it. This whole practice should be forced back into shadowy office buildings. You either succeed or fail under pressure; if you fail, you just deal with it in silence. You certainly don’t try and fix things.
Has any golfer benefited from going to LIV?
Aside from financially, only Bryson Dechambeau. LIV has made Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson completely irrelevant to golf fans. Greed does not pay. These turncoats opted for the easy way out and are paying for it with obscurity and scorn. Bryson is doing ok because he’s psychotically driven and would succeed in whatever format he’s given.
Bryson DeChambeau of the United States walks on the first green prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Is there any way that either Rory, Scottie, JT, or Bryson doesn’t win?
No, one of them will win. It’s almost inevitable. Rory playing free and having the course set up perfectly for him. Scottie is the best player in the world. Bryson is always game, and this course is also set up for his draw. JT is clutch and has won the PGA here before, so he’s the last one in the mix. These guys are all long hitters, and the wet conditions at Quail give them a huge advantage.
Why do they call it Quail Hollow?
It was built on a dairy farm that used to have an amazing amount of quail congregate on the property. Those southern boys would get their shotguns and go to town. People don’t realize how similar the game of golf is to hunting. That’s why lots of masculine guys really like the sport even though it is non-contact and seems effeminate. It’s basically like drawing an arrow or aiming a gun and shooting at a target. It’s primordial in nature.
Why do they let so many PGA professionals into the tournament?
Good question. They let in twenty, and that’s too many—5-10 at most. PGA professionals are not to be confused with PGA pro golfers, who are the ones who make all the money. PGA professionals give lessons and sell shirts at country clubs. They are great guys, but they gave up high-level competition long ago. Should they be taking 20 spots from professional golfers? I think not, but reasonable people can disagree.
Will that sanctimonious blowhard Wright Thompson be doing those little annoying vignettes when ESPN comes back from commercial?
Yes, that has been confirmed. Thompson is what every liberal sportswriter aspires to be. Never has an opinion that isn’t 100% approved by mainstream culture, and never says anything remotely controversial. I suggest the mute button.
Dan Redmond can be found on X @danfromdc
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