Rory McIlroy’s career seems to be taking a turn but in the wrong direction. Heading into the St. Jude Championship, the Northern Irishman was second in the FedExCup standings and one of the top contenders to win the trophy at TPC Southwind. However, neither fate nor his gameplay favored McIlroy, and he finished T68, with only 70 players on the field.

This was the worst performance by the Ulsterman on the PGA Tour, marking his second finish in the 60s this season after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But this wasn’t the only disappointment on McIlroy’s scorecard this week; many other aspects of his game went downhill as well. CBS Sports golf data analyst Rick Gehman highlighted three key areas where McIlroy underperformed.

McIlroy recorded his second-worst driving week (-4.015) and third-worst putting week (-7.833) of his decade-long career. Additionally, the 4-time major winner struggled with Strokes Gained: Approach, as he had the 21st worst approach week of his career, losing 3.126 strokes over four rounds.

With McIlroy’s ongoing major drought, his form appeared to be slipping as well. This entire scenario caught the attention of the golf world, and fans were noticeably displeased with his performance, even advising him to leave the fairways altogether.

Rory McIlroy gets under the heat of the golf community

It has been nearly 17 years since Rory McIlroy turned pro and 14 years since he became a member of the PGA Tour. Over his nearly two-decade-long career, the 35-year-old has experienced both incredible success and disappointing failures. Through it all, the Northern Irishman has persevered and proven his mettle. However, after his performance at the St. Jude Championship, one fan expressed their frustration, suggesting, “He should retire.” 

McIlroy’s last three starts have been a mix of good and bad performances. He finished T5 at the Summer Olympics, missed the cut at The Open, and then ended near the bottom at TPC Southwind. On top of the poor scores, McIlroy also struggled statistically. This led one user to take a jab at him, saying, “If you’re going to have a bad week, you might as well be terrible at every aspect of the game + have loads to fix. Right?” 

The memory of Pinehurst No. 2 and McIlroy’s missed putt still lingers for fans. That moment, when the 4-time major winner missed another chance to break free from a 10-year-long major drought, left him heartbroken and led to his withdrawal from the Travelers Championship. One fan speculated that the disappointment from the US Open was still affecting the 25-year-old, remarking, “The US Open ruined him until next year.” 

McIlroy’s score of 9 over 289 was one of the three worst scores put up at TPC Southwind tied by Jordan Spieth after Max Homa’s 11 over. His declining form seemed to weigh on McIlroy even before the event concluded. One fan recounted witnessing McIlroy’s frustration after nearly making a bogey on the par-5 16th hole, “I was on 16 yesterday. As the first guy was putting he hit into them landing his ball on the green. He was mad all day. Followed him for several holes. He looked miserable.” Another viewer who had watched the Ulsterman play all day on Sunday noticed “He is #lost” and that’s why his game has been on a slow decline. 

Before the PGA Tour season ends, McIlroy has two more events—the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship—to regain his form and finish the season on a stronger note.