Rory McIlroy risks punishment as furious PGA Championship comment sparks ‘no class’ response

Rory McIlroy’s frustrations boiled over after he finished his opening round at the US PGA Championship with four bogeys in a row to leave himself 4-over

View 2 Images

Rory McIlroy during his first round at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club (Image: (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images))

Rory McIlroy will have to be careful what he says next after delivering a blunt verdict of his first round at the PGA Championship. McIlroy is chasing a seventh major win after defending his Masters title last month.

But the Northern Irishman had to cut short his first practice round at Aronimink Golf Club due to a troublesome toe issue. And playing alongside Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth, the 37-year-old bogeyed the final four holes of his round and had two more on the day with just two birdies overall.

When asked by the moderator about his first round at a press conference on Thursday night, he replied: “S***. I started missing fairways. I missed the fairway right on four, the fairway right on six, the fairway right on seven, fairway right on nine.

“I made that birdie on five to get back to even-par after the soft bogey on four, then I just got on that bogey train at the end.

“I’m just not driving the ball well enough. It’s been a problem all year for the most part. I just need to try to figure it out. I honestly thought I’d figured it out.

“Just sort of, once I get under the gun, it just seems like it starts to go a little bit wayward on me.”

But McIlroy will have to be careful with what he says next. That is because a new player code of conduct has been brought in at the Majors this year.

Though McIlroy’s reaction will unlikely be deemed worthy of a stroke penalty, he could still receive a warning. Repeat offenders face a two-shot penalty under the terms of the clampdown.

And the Northern Irishman’s comments have also divided opinion online, with one fan saying: “He’s an easy guy to root against.” While another said: “No class from Rory McIlroy. Young fans are watching.”

View 2 Images

Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Jon Rahm during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club(Image: (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images))

But in his defence, one fan wrote: “I appreciate Rory’s honesty.” Another said: “He gave a thoughtful explanation after the initial comment.”

McIlroy admitted he needed to find improvement in his ‘wayward’ driving – but Paul McGinley also believes the Northern Irishman didn’t putt very well. Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Ryder Cup captain said: “He [McIlroy] didn’t putt very well, but it all goes back to off the tee.

“All of his dropped shots, except for one, were dropped from being wild off the tee and being unable to recover.

“We saw him win The Masters so brilliantly, but he was second-last for driving accuracy, and so he got away with it. Today, Aronimink bit anyone who hit it in the rough.

“A lot of players said this week there was no strategy off the tee and you just belt driver everywhere, but the scoring proved that is not the case.

“You miss fairways at your peril around here, as the greens are treacherous. You need to hit the fairway to have control.”