Over the past year, Rory McIlroy’s fitness routine has somehow become a bigger topic of conversation than his golf game. Maybe it was because he hadn’t won on the PGA Tour in 477 days or maybe golf’s most outspoken talking heads, Johnny Miller and Brandel Chamblee, said so.
Rory silenced critics with his win at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston this past weekend. He came from six shots back in breathtaking fashion on Monday. In the media center afterwards, he was asked his opinion of which criticism of him has been the most unfair this year.
In typical Rory fashion, he was honest.
Rory, of all the, let’s call it, critical analysis that you’ve heard this year, what do you think is the most unfair?
I don’t know if any criticism is unfair. I think when people make judgements or criticisms without being educated on the subject that they’re criticizing, I think that’s like for me getting in the gym, for example, that’s my pet peeve. Someone that says to me you’re in the gym too much. The reason I play at such a high level and hopefully will continue to play at a high level for the next 10. 15 years is because of the work I do in the gym. If I wasn’t in the gym, I wouldn’t be sitting here today. It’s a big part of who I am, it’s a big part of my success. That’s always I feel an unfair criticism.
But with my game, the critics and the analysts and everyone that are out there, they’re educated about golf, so they for the most part know what they’re talking about. A criticism of my golf game, I take it, and I know what I need to work on and sometimes those people point out the obvious but, yeah, I would say that’s the most unfair criticism I receive, is what I do at the gym.
Like a true veteran, Rory was diplomatic, yet articulate in his response. He’s planning for the future and just so happens to be in the best shape of his life. Oh yeah…winning helps too.
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