Rory McIlroy’s behaviour on-course commented on by PGA Tour rival’s caddie

Rory McIlroy is back in action at the Truist Championship this weekend, but one caddie has revealed what it’s like being up close and personal with one of the best of his generation

Former NFL quarterback Derek Anderson has lifted the lid on his first experience as a PGA Tour caddie.

And the American underwent a trial by fire after he was pitted against none other than Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, 35, recently made his competitive comeback after taking a short break following his win at the 2025 Masters.

He partnered Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where the Irish duo went up against Kevin Chappell and Tom Hoge during the first two rounds of the tournament. It comes after Anderson was forced to apologize to McIlroy for an incident that left him feeling so small.

Anderson – who played 14 seasons in the NFL but has long been celebrated as a talented golfer – served as Chappell’s caddie for his first taste of action. And despite spending a lot of time around professional golfers over the years, he was blown away by not only McIlroy’s skills but the way in which he carries himself around the course.

The 41-year-old even went so far as to compare McIlroy to a certain Tiger Woods for one particular aspect of his demeanour. Anderson plays off scratch himself and is no stranger to elite-level golf, but he learnt in Louisiana that there are levels to the game.

“It’s just different,” he said on GOLF’s Subpar podcast. “The sound’s different. Kinda the way he goes about it. I kinda was never a huge Rory guy. I’ve always like him and [been] impressed with his game, but the way that he carries himself, what he’s doing on the golf course; there’s an intent.

“You can see [him thinking], ‘I’m the guy, my bag goes here, I’m gonna whack it,’ and he wants to have some of that Tiger intimidation. But he doesn’t act like it. He’s confident in what he’s doing. Just kinda the way he goes about it, the way he hits it.”

Anderson was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2005 but quickly found himself shipped off to the Cleveland Browns. He later joined Arizona and spent seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers before bringing the curtain down on his NFL career in Buffalo.

Another thing that stood out about McIlroy’s manner is the way in which he doesn’t catastrophize mistakes, something he’s guilty of himself. And he suggested this is one of the characteristics that sets him apart from the rest.

“He doesn’t b—h,” added Anderson. “A lot of guys will go out there, whack it and [makes frustrated squawking noise], y’know. He hit one in the lake, Shane hit one in the lake. Nothing changed, they kinda just went about it and kept going.

“That’s what I thought is most impressive. Like, all the guys we saw out there hit bad shots. I hit a lot of bad shots, I get p—ed [and] by the time I get to 13, I’m like, ‘I wanna go in.’ You know what I mean? And these guys just keep going. It’s just different, the consistency is different, and the driver is like no-one’s the same.”

Chappell and Hoge found themselves a stroke up on McIlroy and Lowry after the first day of the Zurich Classic. However, that lead evaporated during the second-round foursomes after they finished the second salvo two shots behind.

A late collapse on the last day of the contest saw McIlroy and Lowry ultimately share 12th place with five other couples. However, the duo will be back on their own when the Truist Championship tees off in Pennsylvania on Thursday.

Mcilroy will hope a fine performance this weekend could put him in fine stead for the PGA Championship title next week. The world No2 has a chance at the calendar Grand Slam after finally winning at Augusta in April, something no golfer has achieved in the Masters era.