US Open gives Rory McIlroy chance to leave politics behind and end major drought

Holywood man deserved better treatment from PGA Tour but has a tendency to prevail against a backdrop of tumult

RELAXED: Rory McIlroy laughs on the eighth hole during the second round at the Canadian Open. Pic: Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP

Rory McIlroy could spend half of his life battling misconceptions had he the inclination or the energy. The latest surround the supposed fury the 34-year-old should have over the extraordinary events of recent days, where aghast onlookers have witnessed the PGA and DP World Tours combine with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to ensure – in theory at least – peace in our golfing time. A lesson in recent history would be apposite before McIlroy’s position is considered.

The Irishman has cause to be conflicted. He was as stunned by Tuesday’s announcement as everyone bar the handful of individuals who have changed the shape of elite golf forever. The rest of us required smelling salts. Yet the sense McIlroy was embattled or insistent on continuing war is inaccurate.