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Johnny Miller says Rory McIlroy is too worried about displaying his muscles

Johnny Miller believes Rory McIlroy is spending too much time modeling his muscles.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Johnny Miller, who on Saturday ripped Rory McIlroy for being too ripped, took bashing of the four-time major winner’s workout regime to another level during Sunday’s final round of the Open Championship.

Miller, along with Brandel Chamblee and others, is a regular critic of the gym rat regimens of McIlroy and Tiger Woods before him. He suggested that the two former world Nos. 1 cared too much about strutting their muscled physiques and it hurt their ability to win golf tournaments.

“I think he overdid the weight room, personally. I don’t think that helped him at all. I think [the] same thing with Tiger Woods,” NBC Sports’ lead golf analyst Miller said during the third-round telecast. “You just get carried away with wearing the tight shirts and showing off their sort of muscles.”

Opining that “golf is a game of finesse and touch” that requires “a certain amount of strength,” Miller stated that Rory had “a little too much” of the latter.

The view from here is that whatever causes something of a traditional third-round letdown in big events (2-over Saturday at Troon) for McIlroy may have more to do with brains than brawn. He’s conceded he sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him (exhibit A: smashing his 3-wood to bits on his way to that 73).

We don’t actually disagree that McIlroy enjoys showing off his musculature in that form-fitting Nike sweater he has sported more than once this season. Why wouldn’t he, after transforming himself from the pudgy little guy who turned pro in 2007 to the stacked specimen he is today?

But he displayed plenty of proficiency in his final-round 67.

Bulging biceps and all, Johnny.

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2016 British Open Golf Rules

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