Hot Takes

Rory McIlroy’s latest comments spark controversy … fried chicken controversy, that is

Rory McIlroy hasn’t held back this year. He’s made his feelings on everything—from LIV Golf to letting the Open Championship slip through his fingers—loud and clear. There’s been no words minced or punches pulled. This is who I am, he’s said. Take me or leave me.

On Thursday, that bold, unrepentant Rory was on full display at the CJ Cup, where he stepped to podium to deliver his most divisive yet: Popeyes >>> Chick-Fil-A.

McIlroy served up that piping hot bucket of controversy when asked about his pairing with South Korean phenom Tom Kim. Kim is apparently a big fan of American fast food, specifically the fried chicken joints like Chick-Fil-A, but has yet to enjoy the sweet, simple pleasure of Popeyes. McIlroy, who believes Popeyes to be the GOAT chicken chain, had to educate the young pup, sparking yet another wave of reaction online.

Some even worried Rory’s love of Popeyes had him straying too far from his Euro roots, a Ryder Cup sleeper cell just waiting to be unleashed.

How you feel about this is entirely between you and your palate. Personally, I’ll take Popeyes over Chick-Fil-A seven times out of 10, but I’ll also take KFC over Popeyes three times out five. You do the math on that. We’d crunch the numbers, but they say you should never do arithmetic on an empty stomach …