LIV Golf star issues sarcastic message after Rory | Sports News

Rory McIlroy had scarcely accomplished his second spherical at Augusta National earlier than the accolades started pouring in — together with one which surfaced considerably sooner than anticipated.

LIV Golf competitor Byeong Hun An shared a congratulatory message to McIlroy on Friday whereas the Masters remained firmly underway, with two rounds but to return and 36 holes nonetheless 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 establishing what would turn into a record-shattering six-shot benefit after 36 holes, whereas demonstrating his true character with a gesture to a high college child competing within the event.

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

At 12-under by means of two rounds, McIlroy had shattered the Masters file for the biggest 36-hole lead within the event’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 much less prestigious than Augusta National, An concluded the consequence was decided. Not everybody discovered the humor amusing. One person responded on to An, highlighting his own exclusion from the most important. “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 main championship atmosphere.

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

He additionally grew to become the youngest-ever U.S. Amateur champion in 2009 at age 17, defeating Ben Martin 7&5 within the closing at Southern Hills, a file that is still unbroken.

For these nonetheless competing at Augusta, the amusement in An’s tweet was doubtless more troublesome to understand. McIlroy’s six-shot lead marked the third-largest 36-hole benefit in main championship historical past, trailing solely Henry Cotton’s nine-shot margin at The Open in 1934 and Brooks Koepka’s seven-shot lead on the 2019 PGA Championship.

Both of these gamers secured victory. The final 5 golfers to carry five-stroke benefits or higher following 36 holes on the Masters all claimed victory, with Harry Cooper in 1936 being the only exception.

McIlroy remained cautious about drawing conclusions from these statistics, regardless of 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 simply attempting to keep taking part in nicely and holding my foot on the fuel.”