RORY MCILROY caught an outrageous stray during a discussion about the upcoming US Presidential election on ABC.
The PGA golfer found himself at the centre of a brutal swipe at Vice President Kamala Harris during the latest episode of This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
Reince Priebus, a former White House Chief of Staff under Donald Trump was criticising Harris’ recent appearance on US talk show The View.
The former chairman of the Republican National Committee was picking holes in Trump’s rival when he dragged up McIlroy’s collapse at the US Open in June.
Priebus said: “She wanted to clarify the two most important issues that are facing these two candidates – the US economy and immigration.
“She bombed like Rory at the US Open and said that there would be nothing that she would do that would be different to Joe Biden.”
Missing out on the US Open title was undoubtedly one of the most disappointing days in McIlroy’s career.
McIlroy was left utterly devastated after his last hole implosion made him narrowly miss out on the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau.
Holding a two-shot lead during the final round, McIlroy carded three bogeys across the final five holes – missing two putts from a combined distance of seven feet.
The Northern Irishman called it the “toughest day in 17 years” after he came within two shots of ending his 10 year major drought.
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The former world No1 stepped back from golf course for a few weeks following his meltdown at Pinehurst and divorce U-turn drama.
He called off his separation less than a month after he initially filed paperwork to split with the mother of his three-year-old daughter.
RORY MCILROY enjoyed a high-profile romance with former tennis world number one Caroline Wozniacki before their split in 2014.
The following year, the golf ace began dating Erica Stoll, who he had first met on the PGA Tour in 2011.
Erica often interacted with players through her role as the PGA’s manager of championship volunteer operations.
She even prevented McIlroy from missing his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup after some confusion over the time zone.
The incident began a firm friendship between the pair, four years before their relationship turned romantic.
McIlroy and Erica were spotted on a string of dates in Rochester, New York, in the early days of their relationship.
Just eight months later, the couple got engaged in Paris and walked down the aisle at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017.
The pair then welcomed daughter Poppy into the world three years later.
Throughout their time together, McIlroy and Erica have kept their relationship to themselves, with the golfer keen to protect his family from the cameras during filming of Netflix’s Full Swing documentary series.
However, after seven years of marriage, McIlroy filed for divorce from Erica.
The reasons for the divorce were not disclosed, but the Northern Irishman submitted documents to a court in Florida.
However, a few weeks later, performed a U-turn on their decision to divorce.
McIlroy told the outlet: “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
Responding to the random gibe, one fan wrote on X: “McIlroy catching strays while political pundits talk about Kamala Harris.”
A second said: “Rory McIlroy just caught an unnecessary / awesome stray.”
A third added: “Damn! Why is poor McIlroy being dragged into this?”
While another replied “We’ve reached a point in the election cycle where even McIlroy is catching strays.”
By Ian Tuckey
Rory McIlroy spent more than 100 weeks at World No1 – and has scooped four Majors and won 40 tournaments in all SO FAR.
Only all-time greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have matched his feat of winning one of the big four by the age of 25.
And after winning the 2011 US Open, the Northern Ireland ace added the PGA Championship the following year – adding the Open and PGA crowns in 2014.
Here’s a rundown on the glittering career of the 35-year-old, five-time Ryder Cup winner, who was also a strong critic of the rival Saudi-backed LIV tour:
Turned professional in September.
Became the youngest Affiliate Member in the history of The European Tour to earn a tour card.
Made a winning Ryder Cup debut.
Became the youngest player to reach $10m earnings on the PGA Tour.
But won his first major the following month – the US Open.
Named Sports Person of the year by RTE – Ireland’s main broadcaster.
Named PGA Tour player of the year and picked up more Ryder Cup glory.
Won the Open at Royal Liverpool.
Then clinched back-to-back PGA crowns, beating Phil Mickelson by one stroke.
Named RTE Sports Person of the year for a second time.
Again helped Europe win the Ryder Cup.
Suffered Ryder Cup defeat.
But gained top 10 finishes at the Masters, The Open and 3 WGC events.
And with Nike largely withdrawing from the golf market, he landed an £80m endorsement deal with TaylorMade.
But then won two tournaments – the Zurich Classic for his 25th PGA title and the Wells Fargo Championship.
