Tiger Woods offers friend Rory McIlroy words of encouragement - ESPN

TROON, Scotland — Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods was among the people who reached out to Rory McIlroy via text message following his final-round collapse in last month's U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Unfortunately, McIlroy didn't learn about Woods' words of encouragement until he bumped into him at The Open at Royal Troon Golf Club on Tuesday.

«Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, so I didn't get it until he told me about it today,» McIlroy said. «I was like, 'Oh, thanks very much.' So, I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing.»

Michael Jordan and tennis star Rafael Nadal were among those who reached out to McIlroy after he missed two short putts in the final three holes to lose to LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke.

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, will try to end a nearly 10-year drought in majors at The Open, which starts Thursday on Scotland's West Coast.

Woods' message to McIlroy was that he was a friend and knew it was a difficult moment because he had been in the situation before.

«We've all been there as champions,» Woods said. «We all lose. Unfortunately, it just happened, and the raw emotion of it, it's still there, and it's going to be there for, I'm sure, some time. The faster he's able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week, the better it is for him.»

Even as an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour, Woods said he felt uncomfortable over many putts during his Hall of Fame career.

«You look at the highlights, I've missed plenty of putts, „Woods said. “I've missed plenty of shots. Just like Jordan, when they said how many shots have you taken? You see all the game-winning shots, but also, he's missed a