Golfer Rory McIlroy offered no apologies for skipping media availabilities during each of his four rounds at the PGA Championship last month, saying he was upset that the news of his driver not conforming to tournament standards leaked to the public.
“I was a little pissed off because I knew that Scottie [Scheffler’s] driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked,” McIlroy, 36, said in a press conference on Wednesday, June 4. “It was supposed to stay confidential. Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it.”
McIlroy entered the tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, fresh off his win at the Masters, which made him only the sixth golfer ever to achieve the career Grand Slam. He had a rough first round at the PGA Championship, however, and never quite found his footing, finishing in a tie for 47th in the event.
Scheffler, 28, won the championship, finishing at 11-under par.
“Again, I didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted, either, because I’m trying to protect Scottie,” McIlroy continued. “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.”
He added, “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. 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 explained that he had a “weird week” at Quail Hollow, which included some uncharacteristic poor play, weather delays and late finishes.
“I didn’t play well the first day, so I wanted to go practice, so that was fine,” he said. “Second day, we finished late. I wanted to go back and see [daughter] Poppy before she went to bed. The driver news broke. I didn’t really want to speak on that.”
“Saturday, I was supposed to tee off at 8:20 in the morning,” he continued. “I didn’t tee off until almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon, another late finish. [I] was just tired, wanted to go home. Then Sunday, I just wanted to get on the plane and go back to Florida.”
The Masters winner was also quick to note that unlike in other sports leagues, PGA Tour pros aren’t required to speak to the media after their rounds.
“I talk to the media a lot. I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street,” he explained. “We understand the benefit that comes from you being here and giving us the platform and everything else, so I understand that.”
