Okay, so this question popped into my head the other day, you know, “how often does Rory choke?” It’s something you hear a lot, especially around the majors. So, I decided to actually spend some time looking into it myself, see what the real deal was based on what I could find.
My First Steps
First thing I did was just a basic search online. Typed that exact phrase in. Man, you get a ton of opinions right away. Lots of articles, forum posts, people arguing back and forth. It’s clear this is a hot topic, lots of strong feelings.
But opinions are just that, right? I wanted something a bit more solid. So, I started trying to think about what “choking” actually means in golf, especially for a top player like Rory McIlroy. It’s tricky. Is it losing a lead? Is it playing poorly on a Sunday? Is it specifically not winning majors after being in contention?
Digging into Specifics
I figured the majors were the main place people talk about this. The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, The Open Championship. That seemed like the best place to focus.
Looking at Major Performance:
- I tried to recall specific instances people always bring up. Like, Augusta National always comes to mind, that one year he had a big lead and it slipped away.
- Then I started looking through his final round scores in majors where he was near the lead going into Sunday. Not just the wins, but the times he finished top 5 or top 10.
- This took a while. I was basically going through tournament results year by year, trying to piece together the narrative of his final rounds in those big moments.
It wasn’t straightforward. Sometimes he played okay, but someone else just played lights out. Does that count as a choke? Hard to say. Other times, yeah, the scores weren’t great when the pressure was highest.
The Other Side of the Coin
Then I had to balance it out. You can’t just look for the negatives. The guy has won four majors! And a bunch of other massive tournaments. Players Championship, FedEx Cups. He clearly knows how to close the deal… sometimes.
So, I spent some time looking at his wins too. How did he play on those Sundays? Often, he played great, held off charges, or came from behind himself. It made the picture more complicated. He’s definitely capable of handling the pressure.
My Takeaway from This Dig
After going through all this, looking at results, reading different takes, here’s where I landed. Defining “choke” is really subjective. It’s easy to slap that label on anytime a favorite doesn’t win.
Does Rory have some final rounds, especially in majors over the last decade, where he could have played better and potentially won? Yeah, seems pretty clear there are examples of that. The stats and results show some Sundays where he didn’t have his best stuff when in contention.
But does he choke often? Compared to what? Compared to his own high standards? Maybe. Compared to other golfers? Well, lots of golfers struggle on Sunday with a lead. Golf is hard. Winning majors is incredibly hard.
So, my process led me to think it’s more nuanced. It’s not a simple yes or no. There’s evidence you could point to for the “choke” narrative, especially in majors post-2014. But there’s also a huge body of work showing he’s an incredible winner. It feels like the expectation is so high for him, any time he doesn’t win when near the lead, the “choke” label comes out extra fast. It’s definitely something that follows him, fair or not.
