Rory McIlroy's putting coach is tired of the criticism that has been leveled against the PGA Tour star. Brad Faxon defended Rory McIlroy in an appearance on Golf Channel's “Golf Today.”

After coming in sixth place at the 2023 British Open, McIlroy's major championship drought is set to reach 10 years in 2023. McIlroy nearly ended the streak in June at the 2023 US Open, but he finished one stroke behind champion Wyndham Clark.

“He didn’t have a great putting couple of days but he had a great final round and a great putting week,” Faxon said regarding McIlroy’s performance at the British Open, via Golf Digest. “And you know, when Rory McIlroy finishes fifth in a major, tied for sixth in a major, the world is going to end according to some of the media.

“The guy is a hell of a player. He hasn’t finished out of the top 10 in a tournament it seems like the last seven events. He’s played very well in majors except for the Masters this year.”

McIlroy won all four of his majors from 2011-2014. Following seven top-eight finishes in major tournaments since the start of 2022, McIlroy is second in the latest world golf rankings.

“It bugs me to no end, and what particularly bugs me, and I hope whoever posted this one is listening now, because when other instructors want to criticize Rory’s stroke or Rory or potentially me, when they don’t know anything about how a player thinks and what motivates them, what drives them, it’s beyond reproach,” Faxon said.

McIlroy's putting coach noted that the golfer's performance at the 2023 U.S. Open would've been good enough to win the tournament in many other years.