Rory McIlroy’s former agent Andrew Chubby Chandler believes Rory McIlroy should take a break from golf after his ‘messy lifestyle’ proved costly in his disastrous outing at the Open Championship.
McIlroy missed the cut by a distance on eleven-over-par but his chances of making it to the weekend were slim at best after playing himself out of contention with a first round 78.
A decade has come and gone and a new decade has begun since McIlroy last lifted a major title.
Chandler told talkSPORT that his former client is likely battling through a lot of issues in his personal life with his future with wife Erica Stoll unclear after filing for divorce but then calling it off while he dedicated a bulk of his time last year and the year before fighting off LIV Golf.
“The top, top players obviously play better more often, and then the really top players take their chances,” Chandler said on talkSPORT.
“That’s all that’s happened with Rory. Rory’s played fantastically for ten years, he just doesn’t take any chances.
“Looking from the outside, and I haven’t seen Rory for a couple of years, but to me it looks like his life is messy. You know what it’s like as a sportsman, you have to have total focus and keep your mind on what you’re doing.
“But it looks like Rory has spent a year and a half fighting LIV for the PGA Tour, then the PGA Tour pulled the rug from under him, then he started talking about LIV not being too bad, then he had his marriage problems, and then he’s got such media scrutiny because he hasn’t won a major in ten years.
“So he just can’t get away from it. I think his life is really messy.”
McIlroy looked a spent penny this week after failing to overcome the mental anguish of losing the US Open in agonising circumstances last month and he never looked ready for battle in Troon.
“I think once I made the 8 on the 4th hole, that was it. 22 holes into the event and I’m thinking about where I’m going to go on vacation next week,” said a sheepish McIlroy.