Rory McIlroy’s former agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler believes the golfer should take some time off from golf after his disastrous British Open result and his “disturbing lifestyle” took its toll.
McIlroy missed the cut by a wide margin at 11 over par, but a first-round shot of 78 put him out of contention for the championship, leaving his chances of making it into the weekend slim.
It’s been 10 years since McIlroy last won a major title and a new decade has begun.
Chandler told talkSPORT his former client may be having a lot of trouble in his personal life and his future with wife Erica Stoll is uncertain after he filed for divorce but then withdrew it and spent much of last year and the year before fighting with LIV Golf.
“Top class players obviously play well more often but really top class players take their chances,” Chandler told talkSPORT.
“That’s just what happened with Rory. Rory has been playing great for 10 years and he never takes risks.”
“From the outside, I haven’t seen Rory for a few years and it looked to me like his life was a mess. You know what it’s like as a sportsman, you’ve got to be totally focused and keep your mind on what you’re doing.”
“But then Rory seems to have been fighting LIV on the PGA Tour for a year and a half, then the PGA Tour betrays him, he starts saying LIV isn’t so bad, then he has problems in his marriage, and then he’s under media scrutiny because he hasn’t won a major championship in 10 years.”
“So he can’t escape it. I think his life is a total mess.”
McIlroy has struggled to get over the trauma of losing the U.S. Open in tough circumstances last month and looked exhausted this week and not ready to compete at Troon.
“From the moment I shot an eight on the fourth hole, I knew it was over. Now, 22 holes into the tournament, I’m wondering where I’m going to go for vacation next week,” McIlroy said sheepishly.
