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Rory McIlroy entered the PGA Championship as the king of the sport, fresh off his Masters conquest that conferred the career Grand Slam and answered all the questions that have followed him for the past decade. But what should have been a victory lap at Quail Hollow turned into an odd week with a disappointing performance, his driver failing a USGA conformance test, and questions surrounding why McIlroy shook off the media for four straight tournament days. On Wednesday, ahead of this week’s RBC Canadian Open and days before golf descends on Oakmont, McIlroy tried to clear the lingering haze from Charlotte.
Speaking to the media at TPC Toronto, McIlroy acknowledged he was upset that news of his driver inspection—an inspection that is supposed to be confidential—was leaked by two media members, especially since several other players, including Scottie Scheffler, also failed their test.
“I knew that Scottie’s driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked,” McIlroy explained. “I didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted, either, because there’s a lot of people that—I’m trying to protect Scottie. I don’t want to mention his name. I’m trying to protect TaylorMade. I’m trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself. I just didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted at the time. With Scottie’s stuff, that’s not my information to share. I knew that that had happened, but that’s not on me to share that, and I felt that process is supposed to be kept confidential, and it wasn’t for whatever reason. That’s why I was pretty annoyed at that.”
McIlroy’s driver reportedly failed USGA testing earlier in the week at the PGA Championship, which could explain his driving issues at Quail Hollow. However, the USGA and PGA of America do not disclose the testing results, with the PGA of America only stating that a third of the field was tested. Failing a test is relatively common and often accidental, and it’s fair to question why the governing bodies put the onus on the player to speak up about their test. Still, McIlroy’s silence only made the matter bigger than it should be.
McIlroy, along with Scheffler, speak to the media pre-week more than any other players. However, McIlroy has made a habit of failing to stop to talk to media after his rounds the past few years, especially after the surprising framework agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia made McIlroy—who had been the tour’s most vocal defender—feel like a scapegoat of sorts for speaking out. This was most notable after the 2024 U.S. Open, when McIlroy sped off from the Pinehurst parking lot after bogeying the final hole to lose to Bryson DeChambeau by one shot.
McIlroy is far from the only player that declines to speak to the press following a round, although it has been a growing trend that’s become a focal point in the sport this year. On this matter, McIlroy is adamant he is well within his rights.
“From a responsibility standpoint, look, I understand, but if we all wanted to, we could all bypass you guys and we could just go on this and we could go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way,” McIlroy said. “We understand that that’s not ideal for you guys and there’s a bigger dynamic at play here, and I talk to you guys and I talk to the media a lot. I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street, and as much as we need to speak to you guys … we understand the benefit that comes from you being here and giving us the platform and everything else. So I understand that.
“But again, I’ve been beating this drum for a long time. If they want to make it mandatory, that’s fine, but in our rules it says that it’s not, and until the day that that’s maybe written into the regulations, you’re going to have guys skip from time to time, and that’s well within our rights.”
McIlroy has won the Canadian Open twice and enters Thursday as the tournament favourite.
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Main Image: Jared C. Tilton
