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Rory McIlroy catches brutal stray from former White House Chief of Staff on live TV

October 14, 2024
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Jared C. Tilton

We don’t know if Rory McIlroy regularly tunes in to ABC’s "This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” But if he was happening to watch the program last Sunday, he would have seen himself become the target of truly out-of-nowhere swipe.

Never mind that the 124th U.S. Open happened four months ago. It was still recent enough for Reince Priebus, a former White House Chief of Staff under Donald Trump and also a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, to work McIlroy’s botched finish at the major into the discussion.

The context: Priebus was talking about Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in the upcoming presidential election, and suggested she had struggled during an appearance on another ABC program, “The View.” To illustrate his point, Priebus brought Rory into the mix.

“She wanted to clarify the two most important issues that are facing these two candidates, the economy and immigration,” Priebus said, “and she bombed like Rory at the U.S. Open.”

Wow?!? A little random, no?

There’s a moment there where it seems like Priebus is trying to find the right analogy. Unfortunately for McIlroy, the ABC political analyst went to Pinehurst No. 2. Priebus is far from the first to throw a stray at McIlroy for his “brutal week,” although we're wondering where the statue of limitations falls on Rory/Pinehurst digs.

The rest of the year post-U.S. Open didn’t go much better for the Northern Irishman, at least when it came to the win column. McIlroy three-putted the 71st hole at the Irish Open to lose by one stroke back in September. And then, the following week, McIlroy lost the BMW PGA on a Billy Horschel playoff eagle.

It’s become a meme of sorts after Pinehurst to call McIlroy a choker, and we’re certain that McIlroy wants to put this year behind him and prove Priebus (and everyone else throwing him under the bus) wrong. To be fair, McIlroy did win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship back in April and May, respectively. But it’s the majors that stick around. At least for Reince Priebus that is …