Rory McIlroy breaks cover at Europa League final after snubbing media at PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy endured a tough week at the PGA Championship last week, but the Northern Irishman has put that behind him to enjoy the Europa League final in Bilbao, Spain

Rory McIlroy is at the Europa League final(Image: @Rioferdy5)

Rory McIlroy has put golf to the back of his mind this week, with the Northern Irishman in Bilbao, Spain, to watch Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.

After completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters last month, McIlroy was looking to go two from two on the major stage but finished well behind Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Championship. Throughout the week, the 36-year-old opted to keep to himself at Quail Hollow.

Having spoken to the press in a pre-tournament press conference a day before the off, McIlroy then opted to skip media duties on each of the four tournament days.Having spoken to the press in a pre-tournament press conference a day before the off, McIlroy then opted to skip media duties on each of the four tournament days.

Fresh off a sharp exit from Charlotte on Sunday, McIlroy is back in Europe to show off his soccer loyalties, with the United fan in Bilbao to watch his team take on Premier League rivals Tottenham for the Europa League title. McIlroy has made no secret of his support for the Manchester club in the past.

After winning The Open Championship in 2014, McIlroy appeared at Old Trafford in front of his fellow fans with the Claret Jug. McIlroy, who was pictured with ex-United players Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand on Wednesday, will be hoping his team can put their tough domestic season behind them by winning silverware on the European stage, with the Red Devils on course for their worst-ever Premier League finish.

In contrast, McIlroy’s season on the golf course has been much more successful, having won three times on the PGA Tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Players Championship, and the Masters. He did, however, fail to make his mark at the PGA, which proved to be a tough week for the five-time major winner.

Prior to his tied-47th finish in Charlotte, McIlroy was forced to swap out his driver after the head was found to be non-conforming following a routine USGA check. Often, such an important part of his arsenal, the change appeared to impact his game, having struggled off the tee across all four rounds.

Having opted not to participate in the media, McIlroy has yet to speak on the violation, something Scheffler also fell foul of prior to his win. The PGA of America did address the testing in a statement, but failed to name any player due to anonymity rules.

“We can confirm that the USGA was invited to do club testing at the PGA Championship, at the PGA of America’s request,” the statement read. “That testing program is consistent with the same level of support that the USGA provides to the PGA Tour and other championships, as part of their regular programs for driver testing.

“The standard process is for about a third of the field to be randomly tested under the program. That was the case at Quail Hollow this week. Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time…

“The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and is not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting the club thousands of times. Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue.

“To publicly identify players whose club did not conform can lead to that player being questioned unnecessarily. Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America have any concerns about player intent.”