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Newsweek
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Rory McIlroy Skips PGA Championship Media amid Driver Controversy
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. Rory McIlroy signed for a 1-over 72 Sunday at the PGA Championship to finish the tournament at 3-over. He is currently tied 49th on the leaderboard, and for the fourth day in a row, the Northern Irishman did not speak with the media. Many speculated that McIlroy refused to speak with the media because of what happened with his driver ahead of the tournament. When news broke that his driver was deemed non-conforming by the USGA (United State Golf Association), he was forced to make a change. This is not uncommon, however, players' names are normally not known as to who failed the test. Somehow, the information of McIlroy leaked to the public, causing a lot of controversy at Quail Hollow. Ahead of the tournament, the USGA found his driver illegal and forced him to switch out the head. However, it seems that McIlroy was not the only one who had to change equipment. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 16: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, left, shakes hands with Xander Schauffele of the United States on the 18th hole green after finishing the second round of the PGA Championship... CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 16: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, left, shakes hands with Xander Schauffele of the United States on the 18th hole green after finishing the second round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 16, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. More Photo byAdam Schupak of Golfweek got the scoop from Xander Schauffele Sunday afternoon. The reigning PGA Championship winner played with McIlroy for three days at Quail Hollow and explained that he was not the only player who had to switch out a driver. "I think Scott is winning the tournament, and I think he switched to his backup, too," Schauffele said. "See, you don't even know because he's so good. We can deal with it because the (equipment) reps are so good now." Apparently, Scottie Scheffler also had to switch out his driver head. Both he and McIlroy are TaylorMade athletes. The brand has not made a statement about the situation. Schauffele also suggested testing all clubs to keep it fair. "I think they should test everyone's driver," the two-time major winner said. "It's not right to just test 50 guys. It just doesn't make sense if you're in it for the spirit (of the game). The whole point is to protect the integrity of the field. If you don't test everyone across the board, I don't think you're protecting the whole field." His quote makes sense because why would the USGA not test everyone, especially ahead of a major championship? Schauffele has experience with this testing because in 2019, his driver was deemed non-conforming at the Open Championship. The 2024 Champion Golfer of the Year also struggled to find comfortability that week. McIlory hit just 26 of 56 fairways this week at Quail Hollow, which is not normal for him. The USGA and PGA allegedly did not disclose the names of players who failed the test, as is their policy. However, on Saturday morning, the PGA of America made a statement about the controversy. Regardless, at least Schauffele let the world know it was apparently not just McIlroy. More Golf: Brooks Koepka Challenges PGA Championship Heckler: 'Come Down Here'
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn golf finishes first round of Regional Round with dominant 13-under par
Auburn golf finishes first round of Regional Round with dominant 13-under par The defending National Champion Auburn Tigers pounced out to an early advantage in their pursuit of a repeat championship on Monday. The No. 1 ranked golf squad in the country shot a combined 13-under par in the first round of the Auburn Regional on Monday, which was eight strokes ahead of the remainder of the field. Only No. 13 ranked UCLA (-5), No. 25 ranked Georgia Tech (-4), and No. 24 ranked SMU (-2) finished a lightning-filled day under par. Four of the five Tigers in the field shot an even par (72) on the day, with senior Brendan Valdes (65) pacing Auburn, and the field, to lead the way. SEC Golfer of the Year Jackson Koivun finished second among all golfers in the first round with a 5-under par, 67-shot round of his own. The pair were the only golfers in the field to finish the first round with a bogey-free scorecard. Redshirt senior Carson Bacha finished in a tie for tenth place after the conclusion of play on Monday with a 1-under par (71) finish, although a pair of uncharacteristic bogeys on the par-3 No. 8 and No. 17 holes proved the finish was lower than the senior would have liked. Auburn's least experienced golfer in the field, sophomore Cayden Pope, ended his opening round just one shot (72) below Bacha. Sophomore Josiah Gilbert finished fifth on the team with a 1-over par, 73-shot round in which he managed just a single birdie. A frustrating 15 pars in rough conditions put a very slight damper on what was otherwise an outstanding day for the No. 1 ranked team in the country. As if often the case in opening rounds of Regionals, the home squad managed to build a comfortable lead on Monday in large part to the Tigers familiarity with their home course. With two days remaining, Auburn will hope to fend off a UCLA team that had three golfers, Omar Morales (69), Pablo Ereno (70), and Baylor Larrabee (71) finish among the top 10 on the first round leaderboard. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
