Rory McIlroy, who defended not to speak to the media in every round of four rounds in the PGA Championship last month, said Wednesday that he was upset by the news leaks as his driver was declared a failure in the pre-match test that was already a “strange week.”
McIlroy became the sixth golfer to complete a professional Grand Slam by capturing a green jacket in the Masters, refusing to talk to journalists every day while also ranking 47th in the PGA Championship at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In the second round, Siriusxm PGA Tour Radio reported that McIlroy’s driver was considered unqualified earlier this week and the American Golf Association was unable to use it during the race.
The US PGA later confirmed that it had asked the USGA to conduct tests at Quail Hollow and said it had conducted inspections on the driver. Test results should be kept confidential.
The driver of the world’s No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was also ruled out before Quail Hollow won a five-stroke victory.
“I was a little angry because I knew Scottie’s driver had failed, but my name was leaked,” McIlroy said at an open press conference on TPC Toronto TPC in Osprey Valley this week. “It was supposed to be kept confidential. Two members of the media were the members who leaked it.
“Again, I don’t want to stand there and say something I regret because I’m trying to protect Scotty. I don’t want to mention his name. I’m working on protecting Taylormade. I’m working on protecting USGA, US PGA, myself.”
Schffler admitted that his driver was thrown after his final round, saying he “feeled it because I’ve been using that driver for over a year.
“With Scotty’s stuff, that’s not the information I’m going to share,” McIlroy said. “I know that’s happening, but it’s not what I’m sharing. I feel like the process should be kept secret, for whatever reason, that’s why I’m very angry about it.”
McIlroy described the PGA title as a “weird week” as he was underperforming in the first round, hitting more than 74 three times in the course he won four games. He ended Friday night, and his third-round serve was delayed for about six hours due to bad weather.
“I wasn’t doing well on the first day, so I wanted to practice, so it was great,” McIlroy said. “The next day, we were late. I wanted to go back and see it.” [daughter] Poppy before she went to bed. Driver news collapsed. I really don’t want to talk about this.
“I was supposed to kick off at 8:20 am on Saturday. I didn’t kick off until almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon. [I] Just tired and want to go home. Then, Sunday, I just wanted to get on the plane back to Florida. ”
Media accessibility is a hot topic on the PGA Tour this season. Two-time Major Champion Collin Morikawa has been criticized for splurged by reporters for splurge on three-pointers in March.
“I don’t owe anyone,” Morikawa said at the Players Championship. “No offense to you, but to me, I don’t want to be with anyone.”
At the Masters, Ireland’s Shane Lowry suggested that golfers need a 30-minute cooldown to collect their ideas after one round. He did not speak to reporters during the last three holes at the Truist Championship in early May.
“From a responsibility perspective, I understand,” McIlroy said. “But if we all want, we can all bypass it,” [the media]We can do it on social media, we can talk about our rounds and do it in our own way. We understand that this is not ideal for you and there is a bigger update here.
“I talk to the media a lot. I think there should be an understanding, it’s a two-way street. We understand the benefits you bring here and provide us with a platform and everything else, so I understand that.”
Unlike the NBA and NFL, PGA Tour golfers don’t need to talk to the media under the track’s charter.
“I’ve been playing for a long time,” McIlroy said. “If they want to enforce it, that’s great. But, in our rules, it’s not, until the day when the regulations may be written, you’ll skip it from time to time, which is in our right.”
