Rory McIlroy was 'Pissed Off' after PGA Championship Driver Fail Leaked
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy finally spoke to the press for the first time in three weeks. He did so from TPC Toronto, the site of the RBC Canadian Open, and unsurprisingly, the controversy surrounding his driver at the PGA Championship dominated the conversation.
Regarding his failure to speak to reporters during any of the four days of competition at Quail Hollow, McIlroy offered various reasons, including his emotional state due to his poor performance and the late finish on Saturday.
However, he quickly got to the root of the matter.
"I was a little pissed off because I knew that Scottie's driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked," said McIlroy. "It was supposed to stay confidential. Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it."
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland speaks to the media following his round at the RBC Canadian Open Pro-Am at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 04, 2025 in Caledon, Ontario, Canada.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland speaks to the media following his round at the RBC Canadian Open Pro-Am at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 04, 2025 in Caledon, Ontario, Canada.McIlroy cited other reasons for not speaking to the press at the time.
"I didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted. 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."
Clearly, the Northern Irishman was most bothered by the failure to ensure confidentiality of the process.
"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."
In the days leading up to the PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy's driver was declared non-conforming by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Consequently, the five-time major champion had to use a backup driver.
"I was a little pissed off"
Rory McIlroy's full answer about skipping media at the PGA Championship and his failed driver test. pic.twitter.com/LQxCOiDo3B — Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) June 4, 2025
Multiple sources, including the PGA of America, later have explained that this is a normal process that occurs at virtually all top-level tournaments.
In fact, McIlroy's driver wasn't the only one that failed the test before the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler, the World No. 1, suffered the same fate, and ultimately won the tournament with a backup.
Rory McIlroy was among the heavy favorites to win at Quail Hollow, a course on which he has enjoyed much success. However, he was unable to capitalize on his mastery of the course, shooting rounds of 74, 69, 72, and 72 and finishing tied for 47th place at 3-over.
More Golf: Golf's Longest Day Sees Caddie Turned Dentist Turned US Open Competitor
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
30 minutes ago
McIlroy tumbles out of Canadian Open with a 78. Champ takes 2-shot lead into the weekend
CALEDON, Ontario -- Masters champion Rory McIlroy tumbled out of the RBC Canadian Open on Friday with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the U.S. Open. McIlroy shot an 8-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey 8 in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No. 11, four bogeys and two birdies. 'Of course it concerns me,' McIlroy said. 'You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't.' At 9 over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. 'Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee.' Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. 'It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday,' Champ said. 'The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday.' The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed. 'I definitely didn't think I was getting in,' Champ said. Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title. 'I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire,' Putnam said. 'Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes.' Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 drop into a tie for third at 9 under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65) and France's Victor Perez (65). Taylor won the 2023 event at Oakdale. 'Hung in there,' Taylor said. 'Making a birdie on the last was important to end the day nicely.' Del Solar was 8 under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was 8 under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).
NBC Sports
30 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
RBC Canadian Open 2025: Tee times, pairings for third round at TPC Toronto
The third round of the RBC Canadian Open gets underway Saturday at TPC Toronto in Ontario. Here's a look at Round 3 tee times and pairings with Golf Channel coverage beginning at 1 p.m. EDT. Carson Young Hayden Springer Ben Silverman Alex Smalley Mark Hubbard Zac Blair Paul Waring Max McGreevy Taylor Montgomery Tyler Mawhinney (a) Chandler Phillips Ryo Hisatsune Vince Whaley Robert MacIntyre Charley Hoffman Lanto Griffin Trevor Cone Noah Goodwin Nate Lashley Antoine Rozner Harry Hall Emiliano Grillo Ludvig Åberg Thomas Detry Justin Lower Davis Riley Kevin Roy Henrik Norlander Corey Conners Steven Fisk Paul Peterson Adam Schenk Rico Hoey Matthew Anderson Jeremy Paul Dylan Wu Adam Hadwin Patrick Fishburn Jackson Suber Wyndham Clark Keith Mitchell Byeong Hun An Lee Hodges Mackenzie Hughes Jesper Svensson Beau Hossler David Skinns Trey Mullinax Kevin Yu Peter Malnati Taylor Pendrith Cameron Young Matt McCarty John Pak Danny Willett Rasmus Højgaard Sam Burns Matteo Manassero Shane Lowry Cristobal Del Solar Ryan Fox Jake Knapp Nick Taylor Victor Perez Thorbjørn Olesen Richard Lee Cameron Champ Andrew Putnam
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Claims Scottie Scheffler Treated Differently After 'Leaked' Golf News
Rory McIlroy Claims Scottie Scheffler Treated Differently After 'Leaked' Golf News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Rory McIlroy opted to skip media availability during the PGA Championship and is breaking his silence on his decision to remain quiet during the major. Ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy was candid about his decision not to speak to the media. Advertisement McIlroy admitted to being frustrated that news was "leaked" about the golfer being forced to switch drivers because of a compliance issue. The star golfer pointed to Scottie Scheffler also being in violation while his name was initially the only one in the news. McIlroy was quick to point out that he wanted to "protect Scottie" but was still frustrated that he was the main person mentioned. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy react during the green jacket ceremony after the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Goodale-Imagn Images "Yeah, and also, the driver stuff, I was a little pissed off because I knew that Scottie's driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked," McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday. "It was supposed to stay confidential. "Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it. And again, I didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted either, because there's a lot of people (I'm trying to protect). I'm trying to protect Scottie," McIlroy continued. Advertisement "I don't want to mention his name. Trying to protect TaylorMade. I'm trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself." McIlroy went on to elaborate that Scheffler receiving a similar decision that was "not my information to share." As the PGA Championship went on, news eventually emerged that Scheffler had also been forced to switch drivers. "With Scottie's stuff, like that's not my information to share," McIlroy added. "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." McIlroy will attempt to tune up his game for the U.S. Open this week at the RBC Canadian Open. Scheffler opted to skip the event and instead focus on preparation for the U.S. Open. Advertisement Golf fans will have to wait until the U.S. Open for McIlroy and Scheffler to once again share the links. Related: Scottie Scheffler News Emerges on Tuesday After Memorial Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
