While winning his first Masters must be sweet, and completing the career Grand Slam must be especially gratifying, one of the absolute best feelings for Rory McIlroy waking up this morning must be the feeling of proving the haters and doubters wrong.
A voluble microindustry within the golf commentariat had been formed around McIlroy’s eleven year major drought, and the seemingly impossible quest to win one of golf’s marquee tournaments.
Four times a year over the past 11 years, McIlroy had provided ammo for hot-takers, losing majors in every conceivable way.
One of the most outspoken McIlroy doubters was No Laying Up podcast personality “Big Randy.” At Portrush in 2019, after McIlroy failed to make the cut at the first Open ever to take place on this island, “Big Randy” said enough is enough and declared McIlroy “dead” with an incredible rant.
“He came home to live out his last days. He spent them peacefully amongst friends. There will be a celebration of life… well, it’s family only. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you all subscribe to Golf Pass.
“But he is dead. He has died. There is no coming back.”
“I just said at the beginning of the year. I kind of gave Rory an ultimatum that… I was just getting tired of, ‘This is Rory’s week. Will he win it?’ I was like, ‘Look, if he doesn’t win a major this year, he’s dead to me. He’s gone. And here we are.”
It was a bold call, but one that seemed especially prescient after gut-wrenching defeats at the Old Course, LACC and Pinehurst over the last two years.
Recommended
Interestingly, McIlroy heard the humorous bit back in 2019 and vowed at the time to the presenters of the podcast that he would call out Big Randy when he finally won that next major.
Here’s how presenters Chris Solomon and D.J. Piehowski recalled their conversations with McIlroy about the bit on today’s Masters recap.
CS: This got to Rory. He is familiar with the bit. He’s told me ‘I can’t wait to win a major and call Randy out from my press conference’. But it’s been so long that I’m not sure if he remembers that.
DJP: I remember you and I had coffee with him, maybe six months after the ‘Rory’s dead’ bit, and I think maybe he had been listening to the podcast a lot at that point, and Augusta was coming, and he goes, ‘I can’t wait to win the Masters, I’ll come back on the pod, Big Randy can come and hold my f***ing green jacket how about that?’
I don’t know if he remembers that either, but I certainly do. And nothing would make me happier.”
After winning the green jacket last night, Rory McIlroy conducted a 26-minute press conference, was interviewed by CBS Sports, BBC Northern Ireland and Sky Sports, and it seems he was too caught up in the incredible moment to call out the podcaster.
That said, Big Randy did have a generous mea culpa on the post-Masters podcast.
And I’m game for it. I know my roles. There are two sides to a bit. And so if he wants to come back, I would stand in the corner and his green jacket like the best god-damned waiter in the world. I would be happy to do that. I’ve had so much fun at his expense. I hope he realised none of it is really personal.
The fun starts around 21 minutes.
We hope that once everything all calms down for McIlroy, he’ll settle this score once and for all.