Rory McIlroy’s ex-manager claims he ‘has been groomed as a political figurehead’ by the PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy’s former manager, Chubby Chandler, claimed the 33-year-old ‘has got carried away’ as a mouthpiece for the PGA Tour, which has negatively impacted his performance on the course. 

The Northern Irishman, off the back of yet another poor Masters showing, pulled out of the RBC Heritage at Harbour View, one of this season’s shiny, new elevated events, this week – an absence that has cost him $3 million in a fine from the Tour. 

Following his most recent failed attempt at the career Grand Slam at Augusta, Chandler claimed the four-time major winner’s professional life is too cluttered with things other than his game, including an on-course interview during his Masters opening round, which the manager insisted Tiger Woods never would have done. 

‘To me he has got carried away as mouthpiece of the PGA Tour,’ Chandler told i. ‘He is doing things he shouldn’t be doing and opening his mouth too often. 

‘The interview on the fairway [at the Masters], absolutely brilliant TV but not good for Rory McIlroy. You can’t be having a chat with a guy in the commentary box about the day and the way he is playing, or whatever, then get over a wedge and give it 100 per cent. You would never have got [Jack] Nicklaus doing it. You would never have got Tiger [Woods] doing it. 

Rory McIlroy’s (L) former manager, Chubby Chandler (R), claimed he ‘has got carried away’

Chandler worked with the Northern Irishman until they split in 2011 following his US Open win

‘If you could see into his head back in the days when he was flying around Augusta there was nothing in there other than hitting a golf ball. Now he has commitments with PGA Tour, where he has been groomed as a political figurehead, with TV, with half a dozen really big sponsors. 

‘And they take up time. He now has Workday [software company]. Workday put an add on TV, that will take a day of his time. That clutter manifests itself on the course. He needs to get away from a lot of that, and just trust his talent.’ 

Chandler, who has also represented the likes of Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen, managed McIlroy for four years until the Northern Irishman split from him in 2011. 

The introduction of mid-round walk-and-talk interviews at the major championship this year were hailed as ‘historic’ after McIlroy and Max Homa participated in them during the opening round, before it was Justin Thomas’s turn on the Saturday.

But they didn’t receive great optics after both McIlroy and Thomas missed the cut after their mid-round chats with CBS’s Andrew Catalon and Trevor Immelman.

McIlroy’s interview came on Thursday when he shot an opening 72 but a disappointing showing followed on Friday, resulting in a 77 and another Masters missed cut. 

Six-time major champion Nick Faldo had blasted the concept, suggesting McIlroy wasn’t focused enough on the task at hand and now he surely won’t be able to help but feel validated. 

‘Every interview I’ve done this week is all about giving 100 percent concentration to yourself and the task at hand, so why?’ Faldo tweeted. 

McIlroy’s participation was yet another moment of his turn in the spotlight as he continued backing golf’s recent revolution. 

After his second shot on Augusta’s ninth hole, McIlroy walked through what he felt on his shot

Six-time major champion Nick Faldo had blasted the concept of the on-course interviews

Chandler claimed McIlroy was a PGA Tour mouthpiece (pictured commissioner Jay Monahan)

He has become a prominent figure spearheading the fightback against LIV Golf and has vocally backed the PGA Tour’s changes, including the mandatory designated events, one of which he is ironically missing this week. 

He even admitted himself that he’s sacrificed his game to focus on the PGA Tour’s battle with the Saudi-backed breakaway, saying following another missed cut at The Players last month that he is ‘ready to get back to being purely a golfer.’

McIlroy came close to clinching the coveted Green Jacket and his first major in 2011 until he self-imploded on the back nine of his final round. 

He plummeted into 15th place at Augusta after hitting a tree off the 10th, which resulted in a seven. 

But Chandler claimed McIlroy’s Masters woes don’t stem from the 2011 collapse but have instead developed over recent years due to the mental block caused by pressure from outside parties and himself. 

‘If you were a betting man you would probably bet against him winning. He has made winning the grand slam [all four majors] a bigger thing in his head than it actually is,’ Chandler added.

‘He is not really driven by number of wins or number of majors per se, but he seems to be driven by wanting to win the grand slam. It’s a massive mental block and it’s getting harder and harder. Every time he gets there he has the pressure from everyone else, but also from himself.’

Chandler suggested that McIlroy should have kept a stronger, more critical voice in his camp as he ‘has not got anyone to say that’s not right’ and it is costing the player in the form of tournaments.