LIV Golf star issues sarcastic message after Rory | Golf News

Rory McIlroy had scarcely accomplished his second spherical at Augusta National before the accolades started pouring in — including one that surfaced considerably sooner than anticipated.

LIV Golf competitor Byeong Hun An shared a congratulatory message to McIlroy on Friday while the Masters remained firmly underway, with two rounds yet to come and 36 holes still to be contested.

“Congrats to Rory McIlroy for winning back-to-back Masters,” An posted on X, the message showing at 3:33 p.m. as McIlroy was developing what would develop into a record-shattering six-shot benefit after 36 holes, while demonstrating his true character with a gesture to a high college child competing in the match.

McIlroy had just carded a seven-under 65 that featured six birdies across his closing seven holes, including a chip-in from 30 yards on the seventeenth that despatched the gang into raptures and prompted U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell to describe it as “one of the coolest things I’ve seen in sports.”

At 12-under through two rounds, McIlroy had shattered the Masters document for the biggest 36-hole lead in the match’s 90-year historical past, eclipsing a benchmark beforehand held by Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus, Herman Keiser and Harry Cooper.

Observing from someplace far less prestigious than Augusta National, An concluded the consequence was decided. Not everybody discovered the humor amusing. One person responded immediately to An, highlighting his own exclusion from the major. “Enjoy watching the majors from your couch. LIV golfers don’t belong in majors,” the reply said. An, seemingly unfazed, embraced it. “My couch is nice and cozy,” he replied.

The interplay mirrored the persistent friction between the LIV circuit and the traditional major championship atmosphere.

An joined LIV Golf following a profession that featured notable achievements on the established tours, significantly a BMW PGA Championship triumph at Wentworth in 2015, which made him just the second participant in historical past to declare both the U.S. Amateur and the British PGA Championship, following Arnold Palmer.

He also turned the youngest-ever U.S. Amateur champion in 2009 at age 17, defeating Ben Martin 7&5 in the ultimate at Southern Hills, a document that stays unbroken.

For those still competing at Augusta, the amusement in An’s tweet was possible more tough to recognize. McIlroy’s six-shot lead marked the third-largest 36-hole benefit in major championship historical past, trailing only Henry Cotton’s nine-shot margin at The Open in 1934 and Brooks Koepka’s seven-shot lead at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Both of those gamers secured victory. The last 5 golfers to maintain five-stroke benefits or larger following 36 holes at the Masters all claimed victory, with Harry Cooper in 1936 being the only exception.

McIlroy remained cautious about drawing conclusions from these statistics, despite having compelling causes to really feel assured. “I know what can happen around here, good and bad,” he remarked with a grin following his spherical. “You don’t have to remind me not to get ahead of myself. There’s a long way to go. I got off to an amazing start.

“I assume my mindset is just making an attempt to keep enjoying nicely and preserving my foot on the gasoline.”