In just one day, Rory McIlroy has gone from one of the most popular golfers on social media to probably the second most popular not on social media (the twitter-adverse Phil Mickelson is No. 1 on that list).

McIlroy has had a large online presence for years, but a contentious Twitter exchange he had last month with former Tour player Steve Elkington soured him on online interactions. At least for now, control of his social media accounts has been transferred to his wife, Erica.

The Bullets

• Self Imposed Break: At the Dubai-Duty Free Irish Open, defending champion Rory McIlroy spoke briefly about his declining social media presence as of late. As it turns out, Rory is taking a break from social media.
• Felt Guilty: He said that he felt guilty after a heated exchange he had with former PGA Champion Steve Elkington, where Rory screen-grabbed and tweeted out a clipping of his wikipedia page, while boasting about his record and bank account.
• Nasty Rory: McIlroy finished off his Twitter battle by insulting Elkington’s grammar and old age (54!).
• Wiki Not Needed: Rory is the world’s No. 4 golfer and has won four major championships. According to Forbes, in 2016 McIlroy made about $50 million in the previous year, between winnings and endorsements.

Quotable

“I must have wrote that tweet and deleted it about five times before I actually sent it. I sort of regretted sending it at the end. I actually gave my wife Erica my phone and said, ‘Change my Twitter password and don’t tell me what it is.'”
–Rory McIlroy