‘Blanked Tiger’: Rory reveals text snub as six Australians vie for British Open $4.6m winner’s cheque

After his US Open meltdown, Rory McIlroy revealed he did something to Tiger Woods that you should never do.

3 min read

July 17, 2024 - 8:32AM

NewsWire

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Rory McIlroy revealed he changed his phone number in the wake of his US Open meltdown that meant he missed a text of support from Tiger Woods.

McIlroy’s redemption is a key storyline at Royal Troon where a prize bump has boosted the British Open winner’s cheque to $4.6m.

A meagre six Australians will be challenging for the Claret Jug, with recent PGA Tour winner Cameron Davis missing the year’s final major despite being ranked 41st in the world, while Woods gets to play just his fifth event of the year on an exemption that keeps him in the field until he’s 60.

It’s an exemption Woods is happy to use as well despite a barb from golfing great Colin Montgomerie who said “where is a time for all sportsmen to say goodbye” but it was “very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to go”.

Woods’ response on the eve of The Open, an event he has won three times, the last being in 2006, was cutting.

“Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not,” he said.

“He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt, so he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do. So when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn’t.

“I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.”

Competitors but always friends.

Watch Tiger's full press conference on R&A TV.https://t.co/4UsRajVYER pic.twitter.com/fzccVw8KLk
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 16, 2024

Woods is as much a golfing official now as he is a player, part of the subcommittee working on the framework agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund that he said was “making progress” despite no firm plans for the game’s future having been laid down.

“I can tell you we’re making progress. I can’t tell you more than that just because we’re not going to negotiate on the outside,” he said.

“We’ve got to keep everything at a high level and private, but things are moving and things are changing. It’s evolving each and every day. There’s e-mails and chains and texts and ideas that we bounce back and forth from both sides.”

But he missed out on a back and forth with McIlroy, having sent the former world No.1 a text in the wake of his final holes horror show at Pinehurst that handed the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau.

“Just basically, as you know, I’m your friend. I know this is a difficult moment. We’ve all been there as champions,” he said was in the text.

McIlroy though didn’t speak to Woods until he got to Royal Troon.

“Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the US Open, so I didn’t get it until he told me about it today,” McIlroy said.

“I was like, ‘Oh, thanks very much’. So, I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing.”

Rory McIlroy ‘blanked’ Tiger Woods’ text. Picture: Andy Buchanan / AFP

Given his chance at redemption, McIlroy said if he wasn’t feeling the nerves as he did “then it probably doesn’t mean as much to you as it should” but he had moved on with another opportunity to end his decade-long major drought.

“Game’s in really good shape. Had a nice reset after Pinehurst that was needed and felt like I shook off a little bit of the rust last week (at the Scottish Open) and played OK,” he said.

“Felt like I probably could have given myself more of a chance to win the tournament.

“I thought it was a solid week. Again, it’s like one eye on preparing for this week but another eye on trying to get into contention as well.”

Min Woo Lee will be the first of the Australian contingent off early on Thursday afternoon, with Adam Scott, fresh off his runner-up finish at the Scottish Open also among the early starters.

Cameron Smith, the 2022 champ, Jason Day, amateur Jasper Stubbs and Queenslander Elvis Smylie round out the shallow Australian contingent.