The Tiger worship was fair, even if some disliked it. He was that good and so much better than everyone else.
The Rory worship is in large part based on the golf media liking the guy personally and thinking he has good morals. Golf is one of the only sports where the athletes are very close to some of the journalists. In a lot of other sports they often would come from very different types of backgrounds, but with golf they come from similar backgrounds. He's friends with them and they talk regularly outside of the scheduled interviews for tournaments. Thats a big reason the media loves him.
It has seeped into fan discourse, and I think fans are buying into it without understanding the reason why. Rory has built himself up as the voice of the PGA Tour, in large part due to the relationship he has with the media. To be fair to him, his public stands have helped. He's taking a big stand on LIV and other issues. I think he publicly rebuked Trump also at some point, which many liked.
Thats not to say Rory isn't popular or one of the best, but this guy isn't more than one of the fan favorites and one of the best. He's one of the faces of golf, but has made himself into the voice. In Northern Ireland they might look at him as the face of golf, but elsewhere he's one of a number as opposed to the face.