Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler: Rory McIlroy is the best golfer in the world by a long way, McIlroy can win the ‘Rory Slam’ and deserves a knighthood for what he’s achieving in the sport
Rory McIlroy’s former agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler believes that the Northern Irishman is the best golfer in the world by a long way and says it’s now his time to dominate the sport, drawing comparisons to what Tiger Woods produced in the early 2000s.
Speaking to Action Network, Chandler also says that McIlroy can do what no golfer has done before by winning all four majors in one year and that he can match Woods’s major haul of 15 titles.
In the full exclusive interview below, Chandler shares why six-time major champion McIlroy deserves a knighthood whilst also discussing the main talking points from The Masters.
Q. Thoughts on Rory McIlroy winning The Masters? Many thought that he would be too relaxed to win The Masters again this year…
CC: “I said to a few people that if he had won The Masters in 2011, he would have won eight Green Jackets by now because the golf course at Augusta National and Rory are so right for each other.
“I don’t think he played well at Augusta, but he still won. I actually thought the best he played was Sunday. The rest of the time, he was bombing the ball into trees. He was all over the place.
Q. McIlroy got himself in such a good position on Saturday with a six-shot lead. What were your feelings then? Did you feel like the Green Jacket was already his?
CC: “I thought that if he went on and played normally, he might win by ten. Augusta and golf are not like that. When you see it unfold at Augusta, you realise what a fantastic place it is because it conjures up the most incredible finishes every time. If there are birdies and bogeys to be made, you’ve got the makings of a great tournament. If you’ve just got bogeys, it’s too difficult.
“If you’ve just got birdies, it’s a putting competition. They get the balance between birdies and bogeys just right at Augusta. And that’s why, when he’s coming up at the end, you know it’s not all over.”
Q. McIlroy hit that shot from the trees at 18 into the bunker. Obviously that walk going up the hill with the crowd. How do you think he handled that?
CC: “I thought he handled it really well. He probably walked up thinking, "I’ve been here before." It’s obviously a great comfort to any past champion that you’ve done it before. I don't think it’s a coincidence that the guys that have played well there, play well again.
“I don't think it’s a coincidence that you’ve got Fred Couples at two under after 12 because he knows his way around. It’s a fantastic venue for a golf tournament. Just fantastic.
Q. Tiger Woods was the last person to go back-to-back at the Masters. Does that put into perspective just how good of an achievement it was by McIlroy?
CC: “Yes and also don't forget how hard it is to win the Masters in the first place. Not many can win The Masters once let alone twice. Rory is the best player in the world by a long way.
“Scheffler is a great player, and everything he does is correct, apart from his swing. Scheffler is a great competitor but he’s not Rory. Rory has got that shot-making capability that makes him ridiculously watchable. We all want to watch Rory because we have no idea what’s going to happen next. He could be brilliant or awful.
“His putting has improved immeasurably over the last five years and that’s why he’s become a more complete player. Rory McIlroy is just a fantastic watch. People say there are no characters in the game, but it’s the way he plays the game. He smashes it 350 yards. He’s number one in driving distance. It’s no wonder he won.”
Q. Do you think Scheffler isn’t as good as McIlroy is then?
CC: “They are different sorts of players. For Rory, his good is better than Scheffler’s, and Rory’s bad is worse than Scheffler’s. So Rory has got a bigger differential, but that’s why he’s so watchable. Without him at the moment, golf would be pretty dull.
Q. Do you think those two are going to dominate the sport, or the majors at least?
CC: “Bryson DeChambeau was trying to make out that the rivalry was between him and Rory, but the rivalry is going to be between Scottie Scheffler and Rory.
“Rory is going to win more majors. Rory probably woke up this morning thinking, "I could do all four of them." Nobody’s done that. That would be a proper Grand Slam. The Rory Slam as they’d call it. There’s no reason he couldn't do it.
“There’s no course now that doesn’t suit his game. Rory has never been great on firm greens and in the wind, but he’s had wind and firm greens this week and won easily. By his standards, he didn’t play great but he still won. He’s so watchable.”
Q. Even on Sunday, when you had Rory, Cameron Young, and Justin Rose who were up there, who was your money on going into the final round?
CC: “Still Rory. In the back of my mind, you wanted Scheffler to start well and get in amongst it, but he never really got past nine under.
“If Rory wins some more majors, he would be up there with Seve in terms of the best European that we’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody play like Rory did, apart from Seve Ballesteros and Arnold Palmer.
“Watching Rory, he plays just like they used to. Wanging it 350 yards off the tee and chipping onto the green. The number of ten-foot putts he holed in the week must have been really interesting because he put unbelievably well from ten feet.
Q. If McIlroy wins one more major this year, would you say he’d be seen as the best European we’ve seen?
CC: “Yes, without any doubt. I think the next four years before he’s 40, that’s probably four more majors minimum. Then from 40 to 45, probably another three or four. Look at Justin Rose. Rose is 45 years old and playing as good as ever. I felt a bit sorry for Rose, but I don’t think he ever quite got in control.
Q. You have Tiger with 15 majors and Jack Nicklaus with 18 majors. What’s the magic number for Rory?
CC: “I think it’ll be tough to get to 18, but he could get to 15 and match Tiger. I want him to win the PGA Championship, so he gets the hype for the last two. He obviously is aware of his legacy and records because he brings them up when he does it: back-to-back winner, Grand Slam, and all this. It would float his boat to win all four in a year.
Q. Is he your favorite for the PGA Championship already?
CC: “Yes. I think the expectation he puts on himself is amazing. I think that’s been his problem for five years. Everybody else has put a lot of expectation on him, but he’s put lots of it on himself.”
Q. Do you think Rory deserves a knighthood for what he’s achieved in the game?
CC: “I think Rory definitely should have a knighthood. I think it’d be nice if King Charles said to Rory, "We’re going to make you a knight, but finish playing first."
“I think it’s quite awkward when you become Sir Rory among a whole lot of golfers that you’ve been "Rory" to for a long time. Nick Faldo insisted on being Sir Nick for a long time, and he’s now been "Nick" quite a lot.
Q. Were you surprised that he didn’t get a knighthood last year after doing the Career Slam?
CC: “If you compare it to other sports, what he’s done is way in advance of a lot of other people that have been knighted. Nick Faldo didn’t win the Grand Slam. So he’s ahead of a lot of people.
“David Beckham did a lot of charity work, he almost bought his knighthood. Mo Farah, you’re not telling me that Mo Farah has done as much as Rory McIlroy. He can’t have. Rory must have been in the whispers for a knighthood. Like I said, it wouldn’t worry me if he didn’t get it until he finished playing.”
Q. In terms of Sports Personality of the Year, if England doesn’t win the World Cup, surely Rory is going to be up there to win it again?
CC: “He should be. He is very, very popular and he’s been massive for golf. It’s on the front page and everybody’s talking about it, golf is at an all-time high anyway. It’s really cool for a young kid to play golf now. Twenty years ago, it definitely wasn’t cool.”
Q. During your time managing Rory, did you think he would go on to achieve what he has?
CC: “You couldn’t put a number on how many majors he was going to win but you knew he was ridiculously good at 13. He had the necessary desire and willingness to listen sometimes. He doesn’t listen to many people. I think he looked like he teamed up quite well with Harry yesterday. I think he’ll get to 15 majors, for sure.
Q. Could Rory be seen by a lot of people as the best of all time?
CC: “Yes. The trouble with golf is it’s very difficult to dominate more than Tiger did. But now it’s time for Rory to dominate the sport.”
Q. Are we going to see Justin Rose in a Green Jacket?
CC: “I think he’ll have one more shot at it. He manages his life so well and gets so much out of his body and his mind that I think he’ll have one more chance.
“I’m not saying he’ll win a Green Jacket, but he’ll have one more chance. His face was amazing when he missed that tiny putt, wasn't it? The absolute shock on his face was incredible. He obviously goes to every degree to try and get as much out of himself as possible and he does a great job doing it. He’s gone 15 yards longer in the last year. That’s amazing, at his age.”
Q. Who would you compare Rose to in terms of these guys that have been nearly men when it comes to winning majors?
CC: “Colin Montgomerie but Monty didn’t do everything to get everything out of himself, whereas Rose does. Monty just turned up with his game, played, and if it was good enough, he did well. He worked quite hard, but didn’t go to extreme lengths. Hardly anybody does what Rose does to get out of it what he gets.
Q. When you look at Scheffler at The Masters, do you think that was a missed chance for him?
CC: “Not really. He was 12 behind after 36. You almost can’t call it a chance, can you?
Q. Where do you see Scheffler in terms of the rest of his career?
CC: “He’ll get about seven or eight more majors. Don’t forget, we’ve just signed off most of the majors to Rory and Scottie. It’ll be like when Tiger played; there were only two majors a year available because he won the other two. So for the young guys coming through now, they’re not playing for four majors a year; they’re playing for two majors a year at the moment.
Q. Have you seen a more underwhelming performance at the Masters than we’ve seen from Bryson?
CC: “I don’t know what happened but I do think that the LIV guys are at a massive disadvantage. The LIV events aren’t meant to be majors; they’re meant to be almost festivals. So the course setups they play aren’t that difficult. So they get out of the habit of having to grind a score out and I think that’s going to be hard for them from now on to actually compete.”
Q. Do you think LIV is holding Bryson back?
CC: “I think circumstances cause the LIV players to be at a bit of a disadvantage because they don’t play the premium golf that’s necessary to win a major. It’s not a criticism, it’s an observation.”
Q. Do you think he’d consider going back to the PGA in order to play in these tournaments?
CC: “We’ll never know what he’s thinking, but I would think he’s thinking that. I think Rahm will be the same, because he didn’t have a good tournament either. Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka had pretty good tournaments. I thought Reed was going to get in there for a bit.”
Q. On Bryson, do you think that he’s doing too much YouTube, too much of trying to appeal to a younger audience? Should he be stepping away from that a bit and focusing more on his game to win more majors?
CC: “It depends what you want out of yourself, doesn't it? If he wants to be popular, spread the game, and get kids playing, he’s doing all the right things. He engages with a lot of young people out on the golf course. I think that’s really good for the game, it puts golf in a great place.”
Q. Do you think he’s trying to create a bit of a brand for himself?
CC: “To do that, you’ve got to follow it up on Thursday and Friday at the Masters. That’s where Rory is so good. He’s created this brand naturally, and then follows it through with unbelievable play.
Q. McIlroy in Augusta, he seems to get a lot of respect from the spectators but when it’s the PGA Championship or the US Open, he doesn’t get that same level of love from the fans. Do you think that could affect him a bit this year?
CC: “He’s bigger than that now. That Ryder Cup toughened him up no end for that. I don’t think that sort of thing will worry him.”
Q. What about Jon Rahm? If you were advising him, what would you suggest to him?
CC: “I would be saying enjoy your $600 million! He’s made a conscious decision to take the cash. If that means you’re not as sharp to win and play as good as you should on the courses that you play in majors, then that’s the downside.
“You can’t have everything. Looking back on it, Rory did exactly the right thing, and the major haul will show that. Rory wakes up this morning; he won’t be checking his bank balance. He’ll be knowing how many majors he’s got, and he’ll be knowing where the next major is. That’s where his head will be. This could be the first one out of four this year. People say, "Oh, you can’t do it." Of course, you can do it.”
Q. We talked a bit about Bob MacIntyre before. How can you explain what he did on the first day?
CC: “He’s now going through what Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke went through when they suddenly got thrust into a limelight where they’ve got a chance to win the Masters or a major.
“I remember when The Open was at Birkdale in 2006, Lee was favorite for the Open. I remember thinking, "How ridiculous is that?" He went to his major now, instead of thinking, "Good, we could finish high up." Now it’s, "I’ve got a chance to win this."
“He’ll need to win every week to cover the fines he should be getting. Augusta could fine him five grand or a hundred grand. You wouldn’t know. But he’ll have been taken to one side and somebody will have given him some very stern words, which are better than any fine.
“It might have gone something like, "Listen, young Mr. MacIntyre, if you behave like that again, you’ll find your invitation won’t be turning up next year." Because everybody gets invited. Even though you qualify to play, everybody gets invited. He’s just got to stop that. It’s ugly, isn't it?”
Q. Do you think that he could get a punishment as big as not being invited to the next Masters?
CC: “Eventually he can, yes, because they’ve been known to do that before.”
Q. What would your advice be to Bob?
CC: “It’s immaturity. His game is brilliant. His chipping, his pitching, his putting is all great. He just has to mature.”
Q. Can you see Bob winning a major?
CC: “For sure. He’ll be one of the next 15 in the running to win one. People like him and Ludvig Aberg. Ludvig hasn't reacted under the pressure that you’d think he would. He’s going to have to work his way through that because when things like that happen to you, you can’t go and practice it. You’ve got to play yourself into that position. Winning a major is not easy.
Q. Do you sense that there’s a bit of a weight of expectation on Ludvig given how popular golf is in Sweden?
CC: “Not yet. It’ll happen if he doesn’t win one in the next couple of years, but not yet.”
Q. Jason Day—what did you make of Jason’s performance at the Masters?
CC: “He looked good, didn't he? You forget how good a player he was. World number one for a year and a half.
Q. Do you feel like Jason’s the man to lead Australian golf into the future?
CC: “Elvis Smylie, I think he’s the next big thing from Australia and maybe Karl Vilips. Karl Vilips, I met when he was nine. Darren and I were down in Australia and I had this father with a young kid start asking me all these questions about what they should do and how they should do that. I thought, "He’s only nine!" It’s quite normal now, but then it wasn’t. Those guys are the next wave from Australia.”
Q. Who is the next wave for British golf?
CC: “Marco Penge for sure. I think Penge is very good. That’s a pretty good effort, his first time out at Augusta.”
Q. Charl Schwartzel—he finished last out of all the players that made the cut. Does it say a lot about where South African golf is at the moment?
CC: I’ve always thought with South Africans, they have a problem that it’s 22 Rand to the pound. So what they win in Rand all the time is just what Rory makes every week. I think that the young South Africans make too much money in their currency so you’ve got a lot of guys that flatter to deceive.
“Guys like Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are multiple major winners. I think the South Africans win one tournament and that’s it then. The motivation for the next one is not there and they don’t become what they should do.
“It takes a lot of things to be a major winner and you only have to be missing a couple of them and you don’t win majors. I think the South Africans reach their hallowed ground too quickly in Rand, and then the edge goes off their game.
Q. What Rory has done sets up a promising year in golf doesn’t it?
CC: “It’s brilliant. I don't know where that leaves LIV, because while Rory keeps doing what he’s doing, it strengthens the PGA Tour. It strengthens everything by the DP World Tour. It’s a real shame that the DP World Tour can’t make more of Rory winning the Masters than they can. They just don’t seem to be able to get into the next phase.
Q. Can you see LIV exploding before the end of this year?
CC: “It’s hard to say but I don't know what their aims are. I can see when they say they’re spreading golf around the world. I think they’ve been very successful at that.
“The young South Africans now, are they trying to be like Ernie Els or are they trying to be like Dean Burmester? Who is their hero? Is the hero the best guy on LIV or is the hero the best guy that’s been around for 30 years? I don't know.
“I wish I knew somebody in LIV that I could have a conversation with off the record and actually ask them what’s going on. Because I can’t see what’s going on. Apart from that, they seem to think it’s going all right. Which in their eyes it may be. That success in South Africa might have been all they were looking for.”
With Rory McIlroy firmly back at the top of the sport and tipped by Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler to chase a historic ‘Rory Slam’, attention will quickly turn to the upcoming majors and how the world’s best perform under pressure.
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