Tiger Woods says even champions miss their putts. Rory McIlroy got the message at the British Open

By KEN MAGUIRE

TROON, Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy insists he didn’t ghost Tiger Woods.

Woods was one of several big stars who texted McIlroy after the Northern Irishman’s late collapse at the US Open last month.

“To be honest, I changed my number two days after the US Open, so I didn’t have it until he told me today,” McIlroy said Tuesday before the British Open at Royal Troon. “I thought, ‘Oh, thank you very much.’ So I shut out Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing.”

Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal also sent messages of support after McIlroy missed two short putts – at Nos. 16 and 18 – at Pinehurst No. 2 to set up Bryson DeChambeau’s victory.

Jordan and Nadal immediately hit send — Woods waited a week. By then, McIlroy was in the midst of a rehab, flying to New York to remain anonymous for a while and changing his cell phone number to avoid pestering reporters asking about his decade-long drought at majors.

“Between the time I left Pinehurst and the time I walked out the door Sunday night,” he said, “I probably got about 10 or 15 text messages from members of the media, and I was like, ‘It’s probably time to get a new number.’ Create some space.”

McIlroy, 35, got to grips with the golf conditions last weekend at the Scottish Open, with an eye on the Ayrshire coast. Troon last hosted the Open in 2016.

McIlroy left Pinehurst without congratulating DeChambeau in person, but they spoke Monday.

“He congratulated me,” DeChambeau said Tuesday. “So everything’s good out there. He’s a fierce competitor. I know he’s going to give the fans, everybody as much as he can this week. I’m going to do the same thing. We’re going to compete. Hopefully it’s another good battle.”

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, won the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool in 2014 and then the PGA Championship at Valhalla a month later. But he has not played in a major since.

McIlroy played a practice round Tuesday morning with fellow Northern Irishmen Darren Clarke – the 2011 Open champion at Royal St. George’s – and 21-year-old Tom McKibbin.

McIlroy last played the Troon Open, and he was frustrating. As in 2016, he expects a lot of crosswinds. The greens are slow, but “I don’t like to play the putter too much,” he said.

Walking with Luke Donald on Tuesday morning, McIlroy asked the European Ryder Cup captain about putting here.

“He’s always said he likes to focus on the pace of his shot and actually make it a little bit shorter and a little bit snappier on greens like this,” McIlroy said. “So that’s something that… you know, the stroke and maybe just thinking a little bit more about the pace of the shot, two good things this week.”

Even though McIlroy never saw the text, Woods’ message resonated Tuesday.

“I missed a lot of putts. I missed a lot of shots. Just like Jordan … You see all the winning shots, but he missed a ton of winning shots, too,” Woods said. “The thing is, you always make the winning shot, and I always want the last putt.”

McIlroy will tee off on Thursday with Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton and Max Homa, who has been a Ryder Cup highlight for the Americans, at 10:09 a.m. local time (0909 GMT). Defending champion Brian Harman is in the group just ahead of them.

After feeling like “one of them” in New York, McIlroy knows his game is still at an elite level. In the five years between 2015 and 2020, he said he’s never been this close to winning another major.

“So I much prefer to have such dangerous situations. It means I’m getting closer to the end.”

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