Pros facing a hairy situation while sidelined

Rory McIlroy had barely popped in this week to relive his 2019 victory at THE PLAYERS Championship when Sky Sports golf analyst Nick Dougherty asked about his hair.

McIlroy -- the reigning FedExCup champion who had compiled six top-five finishes in six starts before this season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic -- took off his hat and tousled his noticeably longer coif. He pushed his hair forward and well down his forehead.

“It’s getting back to the early 2010s,” McIlroy said on PGA TOUR Live’s enhanced replay of THE PLAYERS. “It’s terrible. It is very long.”

With only essential business remaining open in most parts of the country – and barbershops not making the cut as “essential” – McIlroy is one of several players who are looking different.

Brooks Koepka and Billy Horschel grew mustaches. J.B. Holmes cultivated a sort of mutton-chops facial hair configuration, tweeting, “This is what happens when you’re quarantined and bored.” He promised to change up his looks and wear whichever one gets the most likes when play resumes at the Charles Schwab Challenge in mid-June.

Justin Thomas, in a short post on social media in which he walks his dog, sports a similar sort of whisker pattern on his chin, calling it “a look only a quarantine lifestyle could love.” Lee Westwood posted a closeup of himself with the caption asking if anyone had a pair of clippers.

Padraig Harrington shaved his head and showed the before and after photos.

This prompted 2005 U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell to reply:

They’re not the only ones taking a hard look at that odd-looking fellow in the mirror.

“I was just playing with my hair, and it’s gross,” said Max Homa, who would have been defending his title at the Wells Fargo Championship this week.

He added that his wife did clean up his neck.

“I don’t look my normal incredibly handsome, probably-best-looking-guy-on-TOUR self, so it’s been tough,” Homa added, tongue firmly in cheek.

Well into the second month of the pandemic, grooming at home while staying at home has become a tough call. As Harrington reminds, clippers – though disappearing fast in big-box stores – are almost always readily available. Alas, there’s a reason why people go to school to learn how to cut hair, and quarantine home haircut disasters have become a trending topic on social media. Anderson Cooper, the CNN host, admitted, “I gave myself a giant bald spot.” Pink, the singer, copped to having to clean things up after a similar mishap.

In light of all that, McIlroy said, he’s holding out.

“I’ll let a professional do it whenever the right time is,” he said. “It’s all right. I can put a hat on and get away with it.”