Why Do Social Media Trolls Target Rory McIlroy

View From The Fairway by Derek Clements

Social media can be a force for good. It is how I keep track of much of what is happening within the world of professional golf, both in the sport as a whole and with what individual golfers are up to and what they have to say.

But you do not need me to tell you that it can also be a brutally hostile and febrile environment, alive with trolls who seem to have nothing better to do with their time than abuse high-profile people.

I often wonder if the likes of Rory McIlroy pays any attention to some of the stuff that has been said about him on various platforms. Most sane people would have rejoiced in what he achieved at Augusta National. If you were not moved by his emotional collapse on the final green then I would suggest that you have a heart of stone.

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During all four days of the 2025 Masters, McIlroy played some golf from the gods. He also played some horrific shots and made some mistakes that 18-handicappers would have been embarrassed by. But when the final ball was holed, the Northern Irishman had become just the sixth man to have won all four majors - and the first European to do so.

So I was absolutely gobsmacked by some of the comments that were made both in the immediate aftermath and in the two weeks that have passed since then.

There was the individual who claimed that Phil Mickelson was a better player because he had won more majors. Utter nonsense, of course. Remember that McIlroy has now won five majors and is still only 36, with many opportunities to add to his tally, something I now believe is inevitable.

Numerous others have described him as a spoilt child.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

I was deeply critical of him for failing to address the media in the immediate aftermath of his 2024 US Open defeat at the hands of Bryson DeChambeau and again when he headed straight home after dropping four shots at the end of the first round at Augusta. 

The reality is that had he faced the press after day one of The Masters he would have been grilled about nothing other than the four dropped shots, not the brilliant play that had preceded it.

He has also been attacked for his initial stance against LIV Golf and then changing his mind and calling for a deal that brings all parties together. I can understand this U-turn completely. When LIV was launched I wrote many words that were deeply critical of the players who jumped ship and of the Saudis who fund it. But, like most right-minded people, I want to see the world’s best players competing against each other on a regular basis, not just at the year’s four majors.

Whenever McIlroy opens his mouth there is somebody ready to take to social media and abuse him.

He has also found himself being abused for his private life. 

You may remember that at last year’s US PGA Championship it was announced that McIlroy and his wife, Erica, were heading for a divorce. Weeks later, they had put their differences behind them - and she was one of the first to embrace him after he walked off the final green at Augusta. McIlroy’s private life is just that. Why do the trolls feel the need to have their say over something they know absolutely nothing about?

It is interesting to note that most of the abuse aimed at the Northern Irishman has clearly come from the other side of the Atlantic, all the more so when you consider that the Augusta patrons were clearly rooting for him ahead of one of their own in DeChambeau.

This is nothing new. As far back as 2014, he was trolled for supporting Northern Ireland in an international football fixture against Greece. The reason? He hadn’t mentioned a good result achieved by the Republic of Ireland against Germany the same night. It should be pointed out here that McIlroy is from Northern Ireland. But he was forced to head back to social media and write: "Getting a lot of grief about not mentioning the Republic’s great result in Germany." For goodness sake!

Of course, McIlroy is not the only golfer to have had issues with trolls. DeChambeau is routinely abused. Ian Poulter suffers as much negative response as positive and Jordan Spieth has spoken at length about being abused on social media.

It’s not just golfers, of course. 

During the pandemic Marcus Rashford was hailed as a hero for his campaign to ensure all children were properly fed. Then he missed a penalty in the final of the Euros and was crucified. It got even worse in 2024 when his form with Manchester United declined. Take it from me - one of the reasons he moved to Aston Villa was to get away from the trolls and another was to prove them wrong.

If you live your life in the public eye it is a reality that you will probably be targeted by faceless trolls who hide behind anonymity. But that doesn’t make it right. McIlroy has done nothing to deserve the abuse. We should be proud of what he has achieved.

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