Gary Player is the latest old golfer to suggest Rory McIlroy’s struggles are due to his relationshipwith tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
The 77-year-old was asked about McIlroy by My Sporting Life:
“When you’re in love as a young man naturally golf seems to take second place for a while. It’s natural. Love is still the greatest thing that ever happens in our lives. But the thing is for a man like Rory with talent galore he’s got to make sure he has a woman like I’ve got, who has been married [to me] for 56 years, that has only encouraged me to do well and made sacrifices. He’s got to be intelligent and find the right wife. If he finds the right wife, if he practices and if he’s dedicated, he could be the man.”
That sounds an awful lot like Player is suggesting Wozniacki isn’t the right woman for McIlroy, which is as ridiculous as me saying Player posing for the ESPN Body Issue was “immoral behavior.” Does Gary Player even know Caroline Wozniacki? Does it even matter if he did? Off-field issues can have a huge affect on on-field performance. Unless an athlete is willing to talk about it, it’s all guesswork and speculation as to how it does.
If Rory won the first three legs of the Grand Slam, would Player say, “he’s playing so well because he’s madly in love and love is the best thing in the whole wide world!” Of course not. He’d be saying, “his driving and putting are out of this world.” Relationships are always the scapegoat, never the inspiration.
These sorts of quotes are heard every time a major athlete goes through a big life event. People said Jack Nicklaus spent too much time focusing on his family. His 18 majors and happy home life would beg to disagree. Some absurdly suggest Tom Brady lost his edge after marrying Gisele Bundchen. Tiger’s woes are blamed on his dissolved marriage, but his success never was due to that marriage, was it?
Rory McIlroy can have it all — professional success and love. It just helps to be ranked higher than35th in scoring average.
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