Rory McIlroy takes a playful dig at Nick Faldo with a laughing admission
xScottxKinserx, xGreigxCowie/Shutterstockx - IMAGO
xScottxKinserx, xGreigxCowie/Shutterstockx - IMAGO
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy wanted his Royal Birkdale scouting trip to stay under wraps. However, Hall of Famer Nick Faldo had other ideas.
Speaking at the Genesis Scottish Open, the World No. 2 revealed he had visited the Open Championship venue while the rest of the PGA Tour was competing at the Travelers Championship. However, his plans for a low-profile visit were undone after an encounter with the six-time major champion.
“Birkdale was definitely just a scouting trip for The Open for sure. I would have liked to have not had it known that I was there, but Faldo couldn’t put his phone away,” said McIlroy, smiling.
2026 Truist Championship: Third Round May 09 May 9, 2026: Rory McIlroy reacts as he chips over the seventh green during the third round of the 2026 Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC. Scott Kinser/CSM Credit Image: Â Scott Kinser/Cal Media Charlotte Nc United States EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20260509_zma_c04_018.jpg ScottxKinserx csmphotothree490065
2026 Truist Championship: Third Round May 09 May 9, 2026: Rory McIlroy reacts as he chips over the seventh green during the third round of the 2026 Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC. Scott Kinser/CSM Credit Image: Â Scott Kinser/Cal Media Charlotte Nc United States EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20260509_zma_c04_018.jpg ScottxKinserx csmphotothree490065
The Irishman took multiple scouting trips to Augusta before he became just the fourth player to win the Masters back-to-back.
This time around, Royal Birkdale has made changes, and the 2014 Open winner was there to check them out for himself. However, he came across Faldo, for whom he has immense respect.
“I love Nick. He’s great. I had a good time with him. He walked a few holes with me,” McIlroy added, as reported by GolfMagic.
Following the encounter, Faldo uploaded their conversation on X on June 25th, in which McIlroy pointed out some of his observations about the course.
McIlroy on the changes at Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale will host The Open Championship for the 11th time from July 16-19. Major changes await the lineup.
Five holes have been modified, and two entirely new holes will be part of the layout. The 15th could be a game changer, and McIlroy gave his opinion.
"I'll have to play it a bit more. I only played it once. It's going to be an interesting hole. I think it's going to be a big talking point during the week,” said McIlroy, according to GolfMagic.
McIlroy’s only win at The Open came at Royal Liverpool in 2014. The six-time major winner finished at 17-under, securing a two-stroke wire-to-wire win over Spain’s Sergio García and the U.S.’s Rickie Fowler.
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Written by
Avishek Sarkar
Edited by
Pulkit Prabhav