Rory McIlroy’s bid for back-to-back major titles ended with his worst result of the season after a disappointing week at the PGA Championship.
The Masters champion was among the favourites to challenge for more major success at the Quail Hollow Club, the venue where he claimed his maiden PGA Tour title in 2010 and won three more times since.
McIlroy struggled to an opening-round 74 and stuttered through on the cut mark after finishing his second-round 69 with back-to-back bogeys, before successive one-over 72s over the weekend saw him finish on three over.
Rory McIlroy stuttered into the weekend on the cut mark after mixing six birdies with four bogeys during his second-round 69
The world No 2 declined to speak to the media after each day and left the course before Scottie Scheffler began his final round, with McIlroy’s result the first time he has finished outside the top-25 of a tournament since the FedEx St Jude Championship last August.
How much of a surprise was McIlroy’s result?
McIlroy’s play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta National the previous month secured an elusive fifth major title and saw him become just the sixth male golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam.
Highlights from the final round of The Masters at Augusta National as Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam after beating Justin Rose in a play-off
It was his first major victory since the 2014 PGA Championship and a third title in an impressive PGA Tour campaign, having already held off Shane Lowry to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and defeated JJ Spaun in a play-off to win The Players for a second time.
McIlroy had finished no worse than 17th in his previous 10 worldwide starts and was playing at a venue where he has more success than any course on the PGA Tour, leading to Jordan Spieth jokingly referring to it as ‘Rory McIlroy Country Club’.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, Rory McIlroy suggested he felt ‘lighter’ heading into a major following his win at The Masters
“It just looked like he was frustrated all week long,” former PGA Championship winner Rich Beem told Sky Sports. “He looked a little bit off, for whatever reason, but that’s just the game of golf sometimes.
“You’re coming to a golf course where everyone expects you to do well on, you expect to do well on, then you struggle – it happens. He’ll just mark this as a poor week, a disappointing poor week, but I don’t read any more to it than that.”
What happened to McIlroy off the tee?
It emerged during McIlroy’s second round that his driver was considered non-conforming ahead of the tournament, following conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), forcing him to use a replacement.
Kira K Dixon explains why Rory McIlroy was forced to swap driver heads ahead of the PGA Championship
It is common for normal wear and tear to render a club non-conforming when it goes over the allowable limit for the spring-like effect of the clubface, with tournament officials insisting they did not have “any concerns about player intent.”
McIlroy struggled off the tee throughout the week, finding just three fairways on the opening day and ending the week tied 69th for driving accuracy out of the 74 players who made the halfway cut.
The Golf Channel team discuss a report that Rory McIlroy’s driver was deemed non-conforming by the USGA ahead of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow
“I would like to know what happened with the driver and how much that put him off a little bit, because he didn’t drive the golf ball nearly as good as he normally does,” Beem added. “You just don’t see Rory drive it that poorly four days in a row.
“I’d say he’s pretty bummed out by the week and he’s obviously leaving here without a great taste in his mouth. He will learn quite a bit and head into Oakmont with the full intent of winning the US Open.”
Where else did McIlroy struggle?
McIlroy’s poor week off the tee was followed by him losing strokes to the field with approach play, with the five-time major winner finding just 51 per cent of greens in regulation during the week and struggling with his putter at various points.
McIlroy only finished under par in one of his four rounds in North Carolina
On McIlroy not speaking to the media after each round, Beem said: “I find that very bizarre. I would like to have thought he would have come by after the final round to say hi and reflect on the week to everybody and give us a little input.
“For whatever reason he decided not to, that’s his choice. It’s always great to hear from McIlroy, his honest answers and listening to what he has to say.
“It’s a little disappointing when you don’t hear from him, because he usually has a lot to say and he’s not shy about giving his true thoughts.”
Watch the highs and lows of Rory McIlroy’s opening round at the PGA Championship
Will McIlroy bounce back from poor major week?
McIlroy is expected to return to action at the Memorial Tournament from May 29-June 1, the latest PGA Tour Signature Event, before featuring at the RBC Canadian Open – where he is a two-time winner – the following week.
The Northern Irishman will be among the pre-tournament favourites once again at the US Open from June 12-15, having finished runner-up the past two years and posted top-10 finishes in his last six appearances at the event.
Highlights from a thrilling final round of the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No 2
“He’ll bounce back from this week, for sure,” Beem insisted. “I would like to believe he would come back at the Memorial Tournament and look stronger than ever.
“I don’t think this week is going to have any bearing on any kind of slump for the rest of the year, I just don’t see it. These guys have bad weeks all the time but the way they always bounce back is always incredible and Rory is no different.
“He’s going to come back and I’m sure he’ll come back and win at least one more time this year.”
Watch Rory McIlroy in action throughout the major season, along with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
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