Rory McIlroy is gearing up for THE PLAYERS, one of the major events of the season on the PGA Tour that gathers the cream of the crop of the American circuit this week at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It will undoubtedly be the best possible testing ground for what awaits the Northern Irishman and his rivals in the coming weeks, with an eye already on the Masters. In this regard, he revealed some details about the clubs he will use in this tournament and, if nothing changes, at the Augusta National during his official press conference.
“This week I’ll carry 14 clubs, hopefully not 15. It’s the same setup I had last Sunday,” Rory began. Is that his plan for the Masters? “Yes, that’s the plan, I went back to the four wedges.” Considering what’s coming, is it complicated to make changes in the bag? “Yes, in a way. But you’re always looking for a bit of an edge.” An extra that the Northern Irishman hopes to find in a very specific club, his ‘secret’ weapon to attempt the assault on the Green Jacket.
“For me, it was like, okay, if I can find something that goes 300 yards, that would be great, just for… not only for what’s coming but for many golf courses we go to nowadays, where it seems like the fairways narrow at 310, 320 yards, which is uncomfortable enough for me to hit with the driver. But if I hit a 3-wood at 285, 290 yards, I feel like I’m not making the most of my potential. If I have to hit a 7-iron instead of an 8-iron, I’ll take it.”
McIlroy, like other big stars, has to accept that the club brands they play with, which sponsor them with millions, make material changes from time to time, usually in 12-month cycles: “Some years you feel more comfortable with new equipment. Like that Qi10 I’m using that came out last year, it was love at first sight. I thought: ‘This thing is amazing.’ I think when you feel that way about a golf club, it’s very hard to switch to another. It comes and goes. Sometimes it’s easier, some years are easier than others. Look, it’s all business, and everyone is trying to make money and innovate and try to be better. So I understand why the cycle is the way it is.”
Rory has started the year in an unbeatable way, winning at Pebble Beach and near the top 10 at the Genesis and the Arnold Palmer. He feels his game is in the right place: “Yes, I feel good. I would say even the two results after Pebble Beach have been almost the worst they could be. I finished badly on Sunday at Bay Hill. I also finished badly on Sunday at Torrey Pines. But what I would say is that the change in my putting from Torrey to Bay Hill was great. I think last week I finished fifth in putting, so seeing that change was really encouraging. That’s something that gives me a lot of encouragement for this week, obviously, and for the coming months.”
This week he will again have to compete with a ‘tough nut’ like Scottie Scheffler, a player whose ability to differentiate competition from life outside the golf courses he admires and which allows him to remain at Number One in the world ranking: “Yes, look, one thing is to reach the Number One spot in the world, and another is to stay there. I think staying there requires almost more commitment. I think that’s what Scottie does so well. He’s very committed to his craft and is always working. He’s always trying to improve, and we’re all trying to improve to keep up with him. But, obviously, he’s handled it incredibly well. It seems like he doesn’t care about anything other than trying to be a good golfer and doing the best he can. He has a great attitude towards it.”
“I don’t think Scottie cares about fame at all. But yes, I’ve talked about trying to separate the two parts of oneself and trying to be the normal person, but also doing what we do. Sometimes… like when I’ve had difficulties at times when I make a bad score and feel like I’m a bad person, and I make a good score and feel like I’m a good person. I think, more than in any other sport, it’s very difficult to separate the two facets. But as I said, I think Scottie does it very well. He gets to the golf course, is fully committed to what he does, and then seems to have a great ability to forget about it once he leaves,” detailed the Northern Irishman.
Rory also had time to talk about Tiger Woods‘s serious injury, which the Californian golfer himself detailed yesterday: “Yes. It’s a shame. He’s not very lucky when it comes to injuries and his body. Obviously, he was trying to prepare for Augusta, and Achilles surgeries are obviously not fun. I hope he’s in good spirits and doing well. Obviously, we won’t see him play golf this year, and we hope to see him play maybe in 2026.”
McIlroy is convinced that the Tiger will do everything possible to return to competition at the highest level: “He’ll try. I know he’ll try. But that’s a question for him, not for me. Obviously, I don’t know what he’s thinking. But judging by his previous behaviour, he’ll definitely try.” Then, in addition to some new details about the course he will face this week at THE PLAYERS, he reiterated his idea about the changes golf needs on a global level.
When asked about the number of tournaments in which the world’s best, regardless of the circuit they play on, should face each other each year, Rory first said: “You’d have to ask the fans. I don’t know.” And when told that he himself had said he was a big fan and pressed on what he would like to see on TV on weekends, he first used humour, responding: “I hope I’m not watching golf on TV on Saturdays and Sundays…”
He then elaborated on the matter: “I would say it’s more than four, and probably… my opinion is that golf should stay where it is and be relevant, it should be… let’s say we’re trying to achieve this. The global calendar is a year-round calendar. It has to be once a month, if not more. I think 12 times a year or maybe a little more would be a good number.”
“I think there’s an opportunity for it to be global. Golf is not only played in the United States. It didn’t start in the United States. It’s played in many other places around the world. Look, the main source of capital for professional golf is in the United States, so the reason why tournaments, especially the biggest ones, are mainly held here is because of American companies and the money they bring to the sport to fund some of the world’s biggest championships,” explained the Northern Irishman.
“But I think there’s an opportunity to hold some of the biggest tournaments outside the United States. I’ve always been an international player. I play all over the world. I start the year in the Middle East. I come here. I go to the United Kingdom. After the FedExCup Playoffs, I go back to Europe and play four or five events. Yes, there’s an opportunity. I think we need bigger events in Australia. I think the Australian Open needs to be improved and taken to a higher level. The Australian Open was always a very big tournament in its day, and I think that could be one of those that could be elevated along with some others. But yes, I think there’s definitely an opportunity for it to be a bit more global and worldwide. The DP World Tour is part of this, so that’s the international tour. They’ve always been part of it. The narrative has always been PGA Tour and PIF, but the DP World Tour was also in that framework agreement. That’s part of it too,” he added.
Finally, McIlroy made it clear that his future plans do not involve playing until he’s 50. Not at all. Will it be hard to leave golf? “I won’t mind. I’m very happy to step aside for the younger generation to take over. I look at other sports and I’ve had an incredible career… I turned professional in 2007. I’ve had an 18-year career. Not many athletes can say they’ve had an 18-year career, and I’m only 35. I can recognise the luck golfers have to be able to do what they do for so long compared to other athletes, so when I feel it’s the right time, I won’t have any problem stepping aside and letting the next generation do their thing.”
And how will he know when it’s time? “I think when I’ve achieved everything I want to achieve in the game and reach the point where I don’t think I can keep doing it. I’d also like to retire with a bit of energy. I don’t want to be out there embarrassing myself. I’d like to retire maybe a little earlier than I should. Putting it that way. There’s always one more, but that’s okay. I think if you can accept that and retire on your own terms, then it’s a good thing.”
So, will he forgo playing the Champions Tour? An important circuit for making ‘cash’… “Of course. I won’t play golf on the Champions Tour. Look, I’ve said many things in my life that I’ve later contradicted, but I can’t imagine playing golf on the Champions Tour. Something has gone terribly wrong if I have to compete in golf at 50.”
