Shane Lowry Wants People To 'Be Kind' To Rory McIlroy After His U.S. Open Collapse, But Won't Get His Wish

Shane Lowry would rather Rory McIlroy not be dragged through the mud after already suffering what many would say was the most gruesome loss of his professional career at the U.S. Open. While Lowry's heart is in the right place, that's not how the sports world works, especially when we're talking about one of the most influential and outspoken golfers ever suffering one of the game's all-time collapses.

McIlroy stood on the 15th tee at eight-under par before making bogeys on three of his final four holes. One bogey came courtesy of a missed putt from inside three feet on the 16th hole and another from inside four feet on the 18th. Players miss short putts, but missing two on that stage while being just four holes away from snapping a decade-long major championship drought is hard to fathom.

Bryson DeChambeau went on to win what was his second U.S. Open at six-under par, and while his up-and-down on the 72nd was a shot for the ages, the 2024 U.S. Open will rightfully and forever be remembered as ‘The One Rory Gave Away At Pinehurst.’

McIlroy having his hands around the U.S. Open trophy only to lose it with two missed putts that didn't even total seven feet was difficult for even the most casual of golf fans to watch. For Lowry, a close friend and Ryder Cup teammate of McIlroy's, it had to be downright painful.

Just as Lowry described golf as "the worst game of all," any fan who has an ounce of common sense can agree that it's the most unforgiving and downright diabolical. 

McIlroy may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, a four-time major champion, and regarded by many as the best player of his generation, but professional golf is also a ‘what have you done lately’ sport.

Instead of being seen as a player with the résumé previously mentioned, McIlroy is now the player who handed a U.S. Open away who hasn't hoisted a trophy in 37 straight major championship appearances.

When you consider those two facts - and everyone should - then it is fair to criticize McIlroy. We're talking about a professional athlete paid millions of dollars to entertain in a sport where you lose far more often than you win, and with that comes criticism even in the toughest of times.

While fans are certainly taking aim at McIlroy specifically for how he lost the U.S. Open, others are criticizing him for not speaking with the media after the fact and being in the air on his private jet less than an hour after DeChambeau secured his victory.

Jean van de Velde spoke with the media after the worst collapse the sport has ever seen at the 1999 Open. Greg Norman spoke with reporters after his series of heartbreaks at the Masters. Phil Mickelson attended a press conference after his 2006 U.S. Open disaster at Winged Foot.

McIlroy could have, and should have, done the same. Taking time, even if it's a full hour with a few cold beers, and offering up a statement or two and offering his congrats to DeChamebau would have gone a long way in the public's perception.

None of us know how we would react in that moment because none of us have lost a U.S. Open before, but that doesn't mean McIlroy should be given this free pass many in the media are handing him for not speaking because he shouldn't have been expected to or that he wouldn't have offered up anything interesting anyway. While it may be his most-heartbreaking loss, it's not his first loss.

McIlroy has preached for years about how fans are the most important piece to professional golf's very messy puzzle, about how he's an entertainer, yet bolted without saying something, anything, after what may be the defining moment of his entire career.