Weeks After Tiger Woods' Special Gesture, Jack Nicklaus Follows Suit in Extending a Helping Hand to Rory McIlroy

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ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND – JULY 11: Jack Nicklaus of the United States, Tiger Woodsof the United States, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Georgia Hall ofEngland look on during the Celebration of Champions prior to The 150th Open atSt Andrews Old Course on July 11, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo byCharlie Crowhurst/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

World No. 3 Rory McIlroy entered the final round of the Memorial Tournament tied for the lead. The Northern Irishman, who has had an up-and-down year so far, appeared to have set his eyes on his first tournament win since January's Dubai Desert Hero Classic.

However, a disastrous final round saw the golfer drop from first into a tie for seventh on the leaderboard. The collapse was such that even tournament host Jack Nicklaus couldn't stop himself from extending a helping hand. Here is how it went down between McIlroy and Nicklaus!

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2023 has been full of disappointments for Rory McIlroy. After two missed cuts at the Players and the Masters, he could only muster up a T47 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship last month. However, his struggles at Quail Hollow caught the attention of none other than Tiger Woods. Per reports, Woods, who is currently recuperating at home since his surgery in April, had reached out to McIlroy after noticing something amiss in the latter's swing. Consequently, the 4-time major winner ended up heading to his friend's house and having an hours-long session before making his way to Oak Hill for the PGA Championship.

While McIlroy's form has since improved, with two T7 finishes in back-to-back events on the PGA Tour, his final round 75 at Muirfield was a collapse of epic proportions. He ended up making seven bogeys for a dismal 75 that saw him finish four shots out of the playoff. Eventually, following his horrendous finish, Jack Nicklaus sought out the player and told him that it was time they got together and had a talk.

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Jack Nicklaus to Rory McIlroy on 18: "you and me need to talk sometime"

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— Amanda Rose (@AmandaGolf59) June 4, 2023

McIlroy will now be heading to the Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto for the upcoming Canadian Open. The golfer has won the last two editions of the event and will be hoping to defend the title successfully. As for the Memorial Tournament, Norway's Viktor Hovland finally got his fourth PGA Tour win after a runner-up finish at Oak Hill.

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A final round of 70 saw World No. 5 Viktor Hovland finish at the top of the leaderboard along with America's Danny McCarthy. The Norwegian then beat McCarthy in a sudden-death playoff to clinch his first-ever win at Muirfield.

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USA Today via Reuters

Jun 18, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; Viktor Hovland plays his shot from the 15th tee during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

The win came as a huge relief to the 25-year-old. After all, the golfer has been a top contender so many times in major events over the last year. He has been in the top 10 in the last three majors, with his T2 finish at the 2023 PGA Championship being the most notable of them all.

"It feels even better after a few close calls the last few months," the golfer told CBS after his victory. Hovland also took home $3,600,000 in earnings for his Muirfield heroics.

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Watch This Story: Hours Before the $20,000,000 Event, Rory McIlroy Indirectly Hints About the Pressure LIV Golf Has on PGA Tour

Do you think McIlroy will be able to defend his title at the 2023 Canadian Open? Tell us in the comments below!

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Abantika Ghosh

262 articles

Edited By: Sheldon Pereira

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