Rory McIlroy spoke to the media ahead of the PGA Championship and then didn’t open his mouth again until today, 24 hours before the start of the RBC Canadian Open, a tournament he could win for the third time. There was a desire to hear from Rory and, above all, to try to understand the reasons why he didn’t want to speak to journalists after any of the four rounds at Quail Hollow.
As you may recall, that week was marked by the driver controversy. The USGA conducted several quality tests before the PGA and decided to ban some, including Rory’s, news that came to light on the second day of the tournament, and Scheffler’s, information that wasn’t known until the final Sunday. Obviously, all this influenced McIlroy’s decision not to speak. He has confessed that it bothered him.
“It was a strange week. I played badly on the first day, so I preferred to go practice. On the second day we finished late and I wanted to see Poppy before she went to sleep. Then the driver issue came up, and I didn’t want to talk about it. On Saturday I was supposed to tee off at 8:20 and ended up going out almost at 2. We finished late, I was tired and went home. And on Sunday I just wanted to get on the plane and return to Florida. The driver issue bothered me. I knew Scottie’s (Scheffler) didn’t pass the test on Monday either, but my name was the one leaked. That should have remained confidential. Two journalists leaked it. I didn’t want to get up there and say something I would regret. Scottie’s issue wasn’t my business. I knew it, but it wasn’t my place to share it. I wanted to protect Scottie, I wanted to protect TaylorMade, I wanted to protect the USGA and myself. That process should be confidential, and it wasn’t. That’s why I was upset,” Rory openly explained. One thing’s for sure, we must appreciate the Northern Irishman’s honesty.
In this regard, he was questioned about whether players should have the responsibility to speak to the media after each round or not. “I understand the point, but if we wanted, we could ignore you and speak directly through social media. We know that’s not ideal and that you provide us with a platform, so we understand your value. But if it’s not mandatory according to the rules, sometimes there will be players who choose not to speak. And that’s within our rights,” he points out.
Speaking of equipment, McIlroy shared a rather interesting reflection on the ball change he made at the Masters in Augusta. He switched from the TP5x to the TP5. “Thinking about some key shots… For example, the two on the 15th hole over the weekend. I don’t think the TP5x would have stopped the same as the TP5. The 8-iron on the 17th on Sunday: the TP5x doesn’t stop as quickly as the TP5. Also, it has forced me to play more three-quarter shots, because the TP5 generates more spin and even with firm greens like those at Augusta on Sunday, I can stop the ball. With the TP5x, by reducing the ball speed, I lost stability and it rolled more, up to nine or ten extra yards. That makes a big difference. So for the toughest tests, especially the majors, like Oakmont next week, using a softer ball with more spin has been a great discovery for me this year,” he commented.
