{"id":18524,"date":"2026-06-09T20:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/18524\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T20:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:45:13","slug":"alan-shipnuck-on-next-weeks-u-s-open-and-his-book-about-rory-mcilroy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/18524\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan Shipnuck on next week\u2019s U.S. Open and his book about Rory McIlroy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alan Shipnuck<\/a> has spent three decades covering golf for various media outlets, most notably at Sports Illustrated, and, most recently, at Skratch. He\u2019s also the author of ten books. His latest is a biography of Rory McIlroy titled Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf\u2019s Most Human Superstar.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s already been a memorable year for McIlroy, who won the Masters for the second straight year<\/a>. After finishing tied for seventh at the PGA Championship, he now turns his attention to next week\u2019s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.<\/p>\n

We recently caught up with Shipnuck to discuss the U.S. Open and McIlroy.<\/p>\n

Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf\u2019s Most Human Superstar is now available for purchase<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. <\/p>\n

What is the big story heading into the U.S. Open?<\/p>\n

Alan Shipnuck: \u201cScottie Scheffler has to be the focus. It\u2019s been a down year for Scottie, even though he\u2019s playing at a high level, but the victories haven\u2019t been there. If he wins the U.S. Open and completes the career Grand Slam, it automatically becomes a blockbuster season, no matter what else happens. So, he\u2019ll be the betting favorite. Obviously, Rory\u2019s going to be a factor. He has closed the gap on Scheffler substantially, and he loves the great old classic courses, and he really wants to win a U.S. Open on one of the citadels of the sport, so I expect he\u2019ll give a very spirited challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

What else stands out to you?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe secondary kind of storyline is there\u2019s a bunch of players who haven\u2019t won this year; elite players, whether it\u2019s Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay. You can go down the list. There are a lot of guys who are playing well, but they haven\u2019t gotten it done. It just feels like the most wide-open U.S. Open in a while because Scheffler has not been dominant. Rory hasn\u2019t won a U.S. Open in 15 years. So, it\u2019s going to be a tournament with an action-packed leaderboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been rapping out with J. Rome going back to the \u201890s. Always a pleasure! https:\/\/t.co\/sqzK9c3kIs<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Could a dark horse win?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen it at Shinnecock. Corey Pavin and Retief Goosen were really good players, but nobody\u2019s favorite heading into those U.S. Opens. It\u2019s funny because it\u2019s like the USGA always forgets that Shinnecock is right on the ocean and that it can be windy. Course conditions and how the weather affects the playing field have been a massive story. In that scenario, it\u2019s a little bit more like a British Open. Where you are in the draw and the tee times can have a big effect on the outcome. There\u2019s definitely more of a chance for a fluke result at Shinnecock than probably any other U.S. Open venue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did you write a book about Rory McIlroy?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the most compelling golfer of the post-Tiger generation. He\u2019s a big personality. He\u2019s a great talker. He is the most emotionally available superstar golf has probably ever seen. He lets you into his heart. That\u2019s why people have responded so strongly to his Masters win. And of course, he\u2019s thrilling to watch on the golf course. The way he plays the game, the highs and the lows. His victories have been spectacular. His defeats have been heart-wrenching. In what can be a very boring sport, he\u2019s a star.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could you tell us more about your run-in with Rory last year?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was warming up for the second round of the U.S. Open. I went out to chat with his manager, Sean O\u2019Flaherty. Rory, I mean, everyone saw it after the Masters last year. He was in this weird headspace<\/a>, having climbed the mountaintop and trying to figure out what\u2019s next. The U.S. Open is a frustrating tournament. Oakmont\u2019s probably the hardest course in the world. So, he was not in a great place. He saw me chatting with Sean and just turned around. He was like, \u2018Fu*k off.\u2019 I was so surprised. I froze, and he said it again. It didn\u2019t seem like we were going to have a productive conversation in that moment, so I did, in fact, \u2018fu*k off.’\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u26f3\ufe0fAfter a weekend of abuse from the crowd\u2026<\/p>\n

Alan Shipnuck witnessed a private Rory McIlroy moment that never left him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf99\ufe0fFull episode of the William Hill Sports Book Club out now.@AlanShipnuck<\/a> I @TheAdrianDurham<\/a> I @nfoggin<\/a> I @talkSPORT2<\/a> I\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/qiMHQUed6N<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 William Hill Sports Book Of The Year (@BookiePrize) May 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

What happened next?<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo days later, I waited for him in the parking lot, and we had a philosophical conversation about the whole thing. He said, \u2018It pisses me off that you\u2019re making money off my name.\u2019 I said, \u2018Rory, book money is a tiny fraction of Grand Slam money. You\u2019re not missing out on much.\u2019 But again, it\u2019s not about the money. It\u2019s about control, and I think that was really the issue for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him he had nothing to worry about. The Phil Mickelson biography<\/a> I wrote was big and controversial. It sent Phil into exile for a while. That was because Phil had so many skeletons in his closet and so many secrets. Rory\u2019s a different personality. All of his controversies throughout his life and career are in the book, but I think he\u2019s carried himself with a lot of class, and that comes through in the book. So, when he finally saw the finished product, I think he saw that I dealt with him fairly. His stance has softened. We had a nice chat at Pebble Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any thoughts on what appears to be the end of LIV Golf<\/a> as we know it?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might be seeing LIV 2.0. The decadence is over, along with the noise and muckraking. It will become part of the pro golf landscape as a good-but-not-great tour with good-but-not-great players. And that\u2019s okay. There\u2019s room for that. But it\u2019s not going to be the monumental, game-changing, disruptive force it aspired to be. The legacy of LIV<\/a>? It confirmed what people have always suspected: there\u2019s a big appetite for big-time golf around the world. It had the most success in Australia, South Africa, Korea, Japan, and Mexico City. It could never make a dent domestically in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are you still coaching girls\u2019 basketball<\/a> at Carmel High School?<\/p>\n

\u201cI demoted myself from head coach to assistant because I have a lot of work projects and my daughter\u2019s going to have a baby. There\u2019s a lot going on, and it\u2019s a big commitment. I coached for two years as head coach (2024-25 and 2025-26). I loved it, and I\u2019ll always be involved in the program because I enjoy being in the gym. I enjoy working with young people and helping teenage girls become strong, confident leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThis league was a monument to decadence\u2026 but LIV, as we know it, looks like it\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014@AlanShipnuck<\/a> on lessons learned from the \u201cgold rush\u201d that kickstarted Saudi Arabia\u2019s sportswashing experiment pic.twitter.com\/Bi4orDubwM<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Why and how did you first get involved in coaching?<\/p>\n

\u201cI have three daughters. My middle daughter, Abigail, was an all-county point guard, and on the girls\u2019 side, a lot of coaches tend to be parents. I coached her at different levels, and it was an amazing journey. She graduated. I took a year off from coaching, but I missed it, so I got back into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, what are the top five golf courses you\u2019ve played?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. 1 is Cruden Bay<\/a>\u00a0in Scotland. No. 2 is\u00a0Pebble Beach<\/a> because I worked there as a cart boy. That\u2019s how I put myself through college, so I have a sentimental attachment. No. 3 is Cape Wickham<\/a> in Australia. It\u2019s absolutely incredible. No. 4 is North Berwick<\/a> in Scotland. No. 5 is Cypress Pointe. I\u2019ve been lucky to play a lot of great golf courses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t