PAIN IN THE NECK
Fired-up Rory gets ‘NASTY’ with critic Butch as taped-up Tiger lets fine start slide but fights on
RORY McILROY hit back at NASTY critic Butch Harmon as he delivered an Open first round full of sole.
The Northern Ireland star carded a solid twounder-par 69 to finish on the tail of the leaders, ahead of tapedup Tiger Woods.
McIlroy hit back at golf pundit Harmon, who labelled his game “robotic” on the eve of the Carnoustie contest. He drove home the point by wearing shoes with ‘Nasty’ written on
the sole, in reference to the course nickname of Car-nasty.
McIlory joked: “Actually it was alright out there, despite the shoes. Three more days of this would be great.”
Then he told Harmon (below): “I would say I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum to someone who’s mechanical. It’s easy to make comments when you don’t know what’s happening.
“I haven’t spoken to Butch in a long time. He doesn’t know what I’m working on in my swing. He doesn’t know what’s in my head. So it’s easy to make comments and easy to speculate. But unless you actually know what’s happening, I just don’t take any notice of it.”
Woods battled round in even par on his return to the Open after serious injury – but wore protective tape on his neck. The former world No.1, who had problems on the back nine, said: “I’ve been taped up, bandaged up... it’s just that you were able to see this one. It’s no big deal.”