Australian Open, British Open 2024, news, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Bryson deChambeau, Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal

As Rory McIlroy struggled with his emotions in the days following his crushing US Open loss at Pinehurst last month, his phone kept buzzing with messages of support from some of the greatest sportsmen of all time. But it led him to “forget” about Tiger Woods.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan was the first to voice his thoughts, while Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal also did his part by urging the Northern Irishman to put the defeat to Bryson deChambeau behind him and regroup for the future.

Woods, whom the four-time Grand Slam champion first met when he was 15, waited a few days before texting him, knowing his colleague’s emotions were probably at an all-time low. As a result, McIlroy didn’t learn of his colleague’s support until he arrived in Troon.

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Asked Tuesday about Troon’s messages, McIlroy said he was happy to receive support from his peers as well. But there was a caveat: He actually burned Woods for a few days, because after the disastrous end of the race, he chose to change his number.

“To be honest, I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, so I didn’t get it until he told me today. I was like, ‘Oh, thank you very much.’ So I skipped Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing,” he said at a news conference Tuesday.

“Tiger has been incredible to me throughout my career, in good times and bad. He sent me an incredible message after St Andrews in 2022. I met Tiger when I was 15 and built a great relationship with him, his whole family.

“He also really enjoys spending time with my mom and dad. So… that means a lot. It means a lot that he reached out to me. In fact, it means a lot that he waited a few days to reach out to me, and if he hadn’t waited that long, I probably would have gotten my answer.”

“But I met him earlier. It’s always nice when your hero and the guy you had on your bedroom wall reach out and offer words of encouragement.”

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As McIlroy, whose only British Open success came a decade ago at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, prepares for the final major of the year at Royal Troon, he told the Guardian that the messages of support from Jordan and Nadal ahead of Woods’ message meant a lot.

“They are two of the most incredible competitors to ever exist in the sport. MJ may have been the first person to message me after I missed the putt on 18, but both of them reached out to me very, very quickly,” he said.

“They just told me to keep going. MJ reminded me how many game-winning shots he missed. It was really cool.”

And the reason he chose to change his phone number? It wasn’t because he forgot to pay the bill, he explained.

“No, I can pay the bills. There’s a lot of money going around in golf right now,” he said.

“Honestly, from the time I left Pinehurst to the time I walked out my front door Sunday night, I probably got about 10 or 15 texts from members of the media, and I was like, ‘It’s probably time to get a new number (and) create some space.’”

“(But) I prefer that people contact me, in all honesty. It’s a beautiful thing and I hope that it reflects well what people feel for me or what they think of me. No, I will never refuse messages of support or encouragement. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Woods, for his part, felt it was important to make contact, but having also been in the position of being outplayed in majors, he was careful not to overwhelm his partner.

“I waited a week before I sent him that message. I wanted it to calm down, and I didn’t want it to calm down – I know he was besieged with a lot of different things – and I just let it calm down for a week. Then I sent him a nice message, and that was it,” Woods said.

“As you know, I just said, ‘I’m your friend. I know this is a tough time. We’ve all been there as champions. We’re all losing.’

“Unfortunately it happened like that, and the emotion is still there, and it will be, I’m sure, for some time. The sooner he can get back on a horse and get back in the race, like he did last week, the better for him.”

DeChambeau, who benefited from McIlroy’s debacle on the 16th and 18th greens in the final round at Pinehurst, said he has spoken to the 35-year-old since arriving at Troon.

“I said hello to him yesterday and we talked. He congratulated me. So everything is good there,” he said.

“He’s a fierce competitor. I know he’s going to give the fans, everybody, everything he can this week. I’m going to do the same thing. We’re going to be competing. Hopefully it’s another good battle.”

McIlroy posted a note on social media shortly after Troon’s disappointment, indicating he was going to take some time away from the course to reflect.

But he said on Tuesday it had taken about four days for the competitive excitement to start flowing again, with the world number two finishing tied for fourth behind Bob MacIntyre in the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club last weekend.

“I would say three or four days later I went from being disappointed and discouraged to trying to focus on the positives, then wanting to learn from the negatives, then to a point where I became excited and motivated to do it again,” he said.

“It’s funny how your mindset can go from ‘I don’t want to go on a golf course for a month’ to ‘I can’t wait to play again’ four days later. When that disappointment turns into motivation, that’s when it’s time to get back out there.”