Bay Hill was very difficult to beat on Sunday. Fans were treated to a back-and forth event, with the leaderboard changing constantly throughout Sunday’s Arnold Palmer Invitational final round.
It was a thrilling finish. Kurt Kitayama (200-1 Pre-Tournament) won the surprising victory over Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.
Rory McIlroy spoke after his round and gave an odd response to what he thinks fans want to hear.
Rory today: “The lead is changing hands with men making bogeys and not really birdies.” I don’t know what people think of that entertainment value.
Tour is often unable to do this. It’s not easy for us! We love seeing bogeys. Birdies don’t look cool when everyone is making them!
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport March 6, 2023
Barstool Sports’ Dan Rapaport added his voice, saying:
Tour frequently misses this point. It’s not easy for us! We love seeing bogeys. Birdies don’t look cool when everyone is making them!
The majority of twitter users who replied to the tweet were in agreement.
Although I prefer birds to bogeys, today was a beautiful day.
— Emerson Lotzia, Jr. (@EmersonLotzia) March 6, 2023
The difference between players isn’t the easy, but the difficult, fair and demanding. You can make it simple and favor birdies to get rid of the mental grind, making it more addictive.
— Bhrett McCabe, PhD (@DrBhrettMcCabe) March 6, 2023
Rory makes a kind of out-of-touch comment Are you a fan of tough golf? Cupcakes? golf. We all feel better about our own stinkiness when we see the best struggle. Birdie has more drama and unexpected twists than Birdie. fest golf.
— Drizza77 (@drizza77) March 6, 2023
It was an amazing leaderboard, with 4 men at 8 and 3 at 7. What is the problem?
— Todd Bailey, PGA (@ToddABailey March 6, 2023
Rory has such a strange take on things. It almost seems that he has become detached from the real game of golf and is now one of those elite players who don’t get what the fans want.
Golf Lover UK (@GolfloverUK March 6, 2023
I would rather see and play in a Tournament where Par is the final 9 Sundays. It’s boring to see a Course where 6-7 birdies are made of dartboard greens.
— Scott Hend (@hendygolf) March 6, 2023
A hard US Open is a great watch.
— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) March 6, 2023
Rory IMO is not in touch with his audience. The majority of golf fans who tune in weekly enjoy watching the players overcome new obstacles and new course challenges. They don’t participate in birdie fests.
— Alec Kowalczyk (@AlecKowalczyk4) March 6, 2023
We can all agree that Sunday’s tough test and watching the best golfers struggle a little on the course to see who wins is what golf fans want to watch.
