We all know Rory McIlroy has previous connections to the Trump family. He played a round with the President before his inauguration in early January. He also appeared in Kai Trump’s YouTube golf channel just a month ago. The video shows McIlroy playing alongside the young Trump at Torrey Pines during the Genesis Open. Throughout the video, their interaction seems friendly and respectful, with McIlroy offering swing advice to the President’s granddaughter. “This is why I’m going to school in Miami,” Kai joked about the cold, rainy conditions during their round. So what led to Trump missing out on his bogey-free second round?

So what happened is that a social media post from Rapid Response 47 captured Trump’s remarks about the tournament contenders, and McIlroy was conspicuously absent from his praise. “@POTUS on the Masters: ‘They have so many great guys. They’re all friends of mine… Scottie Scheffler’s great, Bryson’s great… Justin Rose… you have some fantastic golfers at the top,’” shared the X account @RapidResponse47.

This omission seems particularly striking given McIlroy’s impressive performance at Augusta. After a disappointing finish to his opening round that included two double-bogeys in his final four holes, the Northern Irishman displayed remarkable mental fortitude. He carded a bogey-free 66 in the second round, making an eagle and three birdies to vault himself back into contention.

Bryson DeChambeau’s connection to the President seems significantly stronger. The two created an internet sensation with their recent YouTube collaboration titled “Can I Break 50 With President Donald Trump?” The video became YouTube’s top trending clip, amassing nearly 6 million views in its first day—surpassing even the final round viewership of the Open Championship by 73 percent.

The Trump-DeChambeau partnership has been extraordinarily lucrative for the LIV Golf star’s social media presence. Their golf match delivered hundreds of thousands of new subscribers to DeChambeau’s channel, pushing his total past 1.13 million. This strong personal and professional relationship likely explains why DeChambeau made Trump’s shortlist of golf “friends,” while McIlroy, despite his impressive Masters performance, did not.

As the Northern Irishman pursues the elusive career Grand Slam, his absence from Trump’s golf circle has not gone unnoticed. The social media response reflects this widespread observation

Fan reactions highlight the presidential oversight

One supporter commented, “The 3 best golfers. Wow.” This reaction seemed to endorse Trump’s selections as representing golf’s elite. Another fan replied, “Bro left out Rory… 😂😂😂” drawing attention to McIlroy’s conspicuous absence despite his current Masters contention. The laughing emojis suggested either amusement or disbelief at the oversight.

Trump’s golf knowledge didn’t go unrecognized, with several fans praising his selections. “He knows his stuff,” wrote one commenter, while another added, “Bro knows his golf, gotta respect that.” Several responses focused on the President’s camaraderie with certain players, with one fan noting, “Chad recognizes chads” and another quoting Trump’s own words, “‘Fantastic Golfers at the top’, Chads recognized.” These comments reinforced the perception of an elite “inner circle” in golf that, for whatever reason, doesn’t currently include McIlroy.

As McIlroy continues his quest for the career Grand Slam this weekend, one thing remains clear. His tremendous talent deserves recognition regardless of political connections. Will McIlroy’s play this weekend finally overshadow the politics and force recognition of his greatness? Only time will tell as the drama unfolds at Augusta National.