Rory McIlroy’s former agent believes the the Northern Irishman doesn’t have a good chance of winning the 2026 U.S. Open as the venue “doesn’t suit him”.
McIlroy, 37, landed his sixth major title at the 2026 Masters to become only the fourth golfer in history after Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Sir Nick Faldo to defend the green jacket.
He was in contention heading into the final round of the PGA Championship two weeks ago but struggled to gain any momentum in the final round and ended up finishing five behind champion Aaron Rai in a tie for seventh.
McIlroy will head to Muirfield Village in Ohio for the annual Memorial Tournament next month before turning his attentions to the U.S. Open – but Chandler doesn’t believe his former client will land his seventh major title.
Rory McIlroy is targeting a seventh major title next month
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
“I don’t think Shinnecock suits him to win at the US Open,” Chandler said. “It’s probably going to be fast, it’s probably going to be windy. I would say it’s doubtful he gets the conditions that would suit him.”
McIlroy shots rounds of 80-70 to miss the cut by two strokes the last time the U.S. Open was played at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, an event won by former LIV Golf recruit Brooks Koepka.
He has played in the U.S. Open 17 times throughout his career, winning once at Congressional in 2011. Of those starts, he has missed the cut on five occasions.
Chandler believes McIlroy will have plenty of chances to land more major titles but doubled down on his opinion that success will be dependent on the layout.
Chubby Chandler doesn’t believe McIlroy has a good chance at the U.S. Open
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Highlighting McIlroy’s erratic driving performance at Aronimink Golf Club earlier in the month, Chandler added: “They found a golf course that didn’t suit him particularly, and if it’s like that then he’s losing his advantage.
“The advantage of hitting it 328 yards is massive, but not if you’re hitting it in the cabbage all the time.
“I’ve always had this idea about Rory: he never plays firm, fast courses well.
“That seemed to bear that up this time. But he’s going to get another 20 or 30 chances to win a major, and they’re not all going to be like that.”
Show X Embedded Content
Loading this video will expose you to potential cookies and tracking by the provider
McIlroy’s final round at the PGA Championship also included a heated exchange with a spectator.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
He shouted an expletive at a heckler who distracted him in a crucial moment and appeared to urge security to step in.
The incident was reminiscent of McIlroy’s Ryder Cup campaign last September in which the golfer and the European team were subjected to frequent abuse by some US supporters.
Chandler said: “I think his expletive was an admission that the course got the better of him early.
“I think the course definitely wasn’t his type of course.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve always said with Rory, he needs a bit of softness in the course, and there was no softness there.
“He needs a course that allows him to drive it slightly inaccurately, and it didn’t. The course was never up his alley.
“It was definitely not a course where you were going to be able to shoot 64 and play catch up.”
Rory McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open
Despite the exchange, Chandler said the atmosphere at the PGA Championship was “quite pleasant”.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
“You’ve got a few idiots shouting out, but not many,” he said. “Somebody shouted at Rory, didn’t they?
“Rory gave it a glare and obviously said something to one of the troopers. I don’t know what he said.
“He’s got plenty of security protection. He has people there following him around the course.
“I think if you end up giving him too much protection, it looks ridiculous.”
Chandler was speaking to CanadaCasino.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe to our Newsletter
