Rory McIlroy Earns an Indirect Blow as Ex-Coach Paints Golf’s Superheroes as Extravagant ‘Ego Strokers’

At Essentially Sports, we are fervent about bringing out the behind-the-scenes and the hidden aspects of today’s sports. For last week’s Essentially Sports FanCast Exclusive, Noah Lack sat with a legendary golf coach who has trained players like Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, and many more. At the age of 72, Pete Cowen has a plethora of stories and experiences to share. We bring to you some unearthed moments from Cowen’s life that immensely impacted the golfer’s career for good.

Pete Cowen, while narrating the tale of his coaching style and how he worked with golfers, highlighted the glorious yet tiresome life of golfers. A recent Netflix documentary, “Full Swing”, covered the lives of a few of the popular golfers. It caught the attention of the masses and was appreciated greatly. However, Cowen made a sneaky remark that shocked even the host of the fancast!

Pete Cowen takes a dig at golfers’ big teams

Cowen knows the ins and outs of golf and its players. He has been involved with the game for so long that anything he says holds weight. When Lack told Cowen that people had become aware of the lifestyle the “top guys” have, the coach started listing team members. He said, “The thing is, with them now, they have all got a big team behind them. They have a caddie, coach, trainer, physio, manager.”

Two unexpected members of the list were the “backside wiper” and “ego stroker.” Cowen had a smirky laugh while calling out the last two and also shared what it takes to have this big of a team as a player.

“They have got a big team around them, so they need to keep winning, they need to keep lots of money to keep the teams like that in place,” Cowen said. Another reason for these golfers’ lavish yet gruesome lives is the choices they make.

The top golfers “don’t fly in economy in the back and most of them fly privately,” Cowen stated. Taking a jibe at his ex-student, Rory McIlroy, Cowen remarked, “I mean obviously, Rory’s got his own plane, so he probably likes his own company, one man on a plane.” Regardless, Cowen said most things for fun and we are sure McIlroy would not take an offense, and neither should you!

Read More: Tiger Woods Receives Strong Verdict as Phil Mickelson Turns Inspiration Behind Legendary Coach Pete Cowen’s Insight

Cowen’s advice to fans

A golfer changes after acquiring success. Cowen said it is part of the game, because, “if you give a 20-year-old $50 million, are they gonna change? Of course, they change.” While Cowen was answering the question if McIlroy had changed or not, he gave a six-word advice to fans.

“Admire your heroes from the far,” he said, “Because when you get close to them, they surely disappoint you.” Although Cowen was not particularly talking about McIlroy, he gave a fuller picture of how people are different than the perceived image. Tune in to the Essentially Sports YouTube channel to watch the entire episode and subscribe for more!

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