Rory McIlroy will be starting the 2025 season differently than his previous ones. Everything will probably remain the same, but the Northern Irishman will tee up with a new swing he has been learning in the offseason. Not that his shots were always bad, but at the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2, many noticed that McIlroy’s shots were going right side of his target. And as always, it was not just the 4-time major winner who noticed his swing issues, Tiger Woods‘ former coach Hank Haney did too.

He often missed it because of his club’s position when he moved down to shoot it. He also finished second at many other events like the BMW PGA Championship and the Amgen Irish Open. As the problem started, McIlroy wondered about rebooting his swing and started following a different mantra. In early June, Haney posted an image of McIlroy’s swing.

He accepted he was great with it and made no mistake but wondered, “How great he would have been if he would have fixed his head from moving like this in his downswing.” Now, nearly five months after, Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen reported that McIlroy was indeed in the process of changing his speed just as Haney had asked previously. Taking advantage of this opportunity as many had criticized Haney when he pointed out the issue, the instructor said, “On the right track but what do I know,” alluding that he wasn’t trying to disparage McIlroy at that time but just wanted to help.

Whenever Haney has talked about McIlroy, it has not always been taken as a positive, not just by the fans or followers but also by the PGA Tour star himself. This takes to the time when McIlroy missed the crucial putt at Pinehurst and Haney opined where and who made the mistake causing the fifth major trophy for the Northern Irishman.

Rory McIlroy gave a fitting reply to his critics

Right after the US Open concluded, many shared what exactly went wrong for Rory McIlroy at the 18th hole of Pinehurst. Among them was Hank Haney, who shared that if Steve Williams was the Northern Irishman’s caddie instead of his best friend, Harry Diamond, McIlroy would not have missed the putt. Haney argued that instead of a 7-iron, Williams would’ve provided McIlroy with an 8-iron for a better lie on the green.

As the criticism was heard by McIlroy, he quickly answered in support of his caddie and asked how come the critics never say anything good when things go his way. He said, “Where were they when I won Dubai earlier year, or Quail Hollow, or the two FedEx Cups that I’ve won with Harry, or the two Ryder Cups, or whatever? They are never there to say Harry did such a great job when I win, but they are always there to criticize when we don’t win.” A few months later, Haney had circled back on his words. 

When one follower asked him if McIlroy would be with a different caddie in 2025, including Haney, many pointed him as the weak link; he said, “No, I think his caddie is great for him. I never said he wasn’t great for Rory.” Rather, he explained that they made a small mistake on the 15th hole, he is a fan of the caddie and accepted that anyone could make a mistake. After Haney’s statements, it does seem that he didn’t have any bad intentions for McIlroy or Diamond. But will McIlroy be happy as Haney takes the credit for pointing out the swing issues first? Doesn’t seem so.