Rory McIlroy furious at two media members for leaking rule break and lays down law

Rory McIlroy broke his silence on Wednesday after snubbing reporters following all four rounds of last month’s PGA Championship, and he opened up on his reasons for doing so

Rory McIlroy spoke to reporters for the first time in three weeks and he explained why he snubbed reporters at the PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy admits his decision to snub reporters after all four rounds of the PGA Championship was partly down to being “p—– off” at two unnamed members of the media who “leaked” news of his driver being deemed non-conforming.

The Masters champion endured a frustrating week at Quail Hollow, finishing in a tie for 47th place. His mood was not helped when his trusty TaylorMade Qi10 driver failed standard testing by the United States Golf Association (USGA) before the tournament.

Around a third of players’ drivers are tested by USGA officials ahead of each event, and it is not uncommon for players to be told their clubs have become non-compliant due to CT creep, a phenomenon that makes the face more flexible after sustained use, potentially leading to higher ball speeds.

McIlroy was not the only player whose driver failed testing at Quail Hollow, with eventual winner Scottie Scheffler also forced into a change. The results of the tests are kept anonymous by the USGA and there were no suggestions of any wrongdoing by McIlroy.

But McIlroy made clear on Wednesday he was upset that his name was reported midway through the tournament yet news of world No. 1 Scheffler’s failed test was not made public until late on the final day when Xander Schauffele dropped it in his press conference.

McIlroy has not spoken publicly since his pre-tournament press conference at Quail Hollow, skipping both the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour over the past fortnight. He returns to action on Thursday at the Canadian Open.

Speaking to reporters at TPC Toronto, the 36-year-old said: “The driver stuff, I was a little p—– off because I knew that Scottie’s driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked. It was supposed to stay confidential. Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it.

McIlroy endured a frustrating week at Quail Hollow(Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

“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 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 added that the PGA was a “weird week” altogether, with late finishes and disappointing play contributing to his decision to not speak to the press.

McIlroy was also asked for his views on golfers’ responsibility to speak to the media. Unlike other major sports in the U.S., PGA Tour members are not mandated to speak to the press after their rounds.

McIlroy said: “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 (gesturing to his phone) and we could go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way.

“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.”