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In normal circumstances, Rory McIlroy a return to a scene of triumph would be an occasion for deep reflection. McIlroy finished in the dark at Valhalla when he won the 2014 US PGA Championship, providing a theatrical backdrop to his fourth and so far final success in one of golf’s majors. McIlroy returned to Louisville, Kentucky, this week with back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour.
These are not ordinary times. McIlroy’s media appearance on the eve of this PGA of the United States lasted just nine minutes and seven questions from a packed house. The news on Tuesday that 24 hours earlier the 35-year-old had filed for divorce from his wife of seven years suddenly turned the scene around McIlroy upside down. On Sunday, McIlroy stood with the trophy aloft at Quail Hollow after a dominant closing 18 holes.
It was clear that he would not comment on his personal life, a mantra he firmly stuck to. “I’m ready to play this week,” was McIlroy’s matter-of-fact response when asked simply how he was feeling.
If it seems unfortunate that it has come to this, it must also be remembered that McIlroy has the form to thrive inside the ropes when there is noise elsewhere. He played some of the best golf of his career in 2022 as he virtually faced the PGA Tour’s war against LIV. In 2014, he announced the end of his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki days before winning Wentworth’s West Course. Two majors quickly followed. That touch continued into early 2015 when the Northern Irishman was embroiled in a costly legal battle with his former management firm. When the recent jubilation in New Orleans and Charlotte is taken into account, the evidence points strongly to McIlroy’s prominence here.
“I feel good,” McIlroy said. “Obviously I had a great day on Sunday at a golf course that I’ve loved over the years and had a lot of success at, coming to a place where I’ve also had success before.
“I get to go back to Quail Hollow every year. Really don’t come back here too much. Today was my first time at the golf course since 10 years ago, so it was good to reacquaint myself with the place. The golf course is a little different than it was 10 years ago, a little longer. A few minor changes, but for the most part pretty much the same as I remember from 10 years ago.
“But look [my] Game feels good after two wins, fun in New Orleans with Shane [Lowry, at the Zurich Classic team event] and then a really good performance last week. I think it’s all about confidence and momentum. I have a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum going into this week.”
Xander Schaufele, whom McIlroy pushed aside for his own a five stroke win on Sunday, he seemed able to calculate what had happened. Schaufele said: “If someone had told me I would have shot four under at Quail Hollow on Sunday and lost … that’s just a testament to how well Rory is playing. When someone like him is firing on all cylinders, he’s a tough guy to beat.
One topic on which McIlroy was typically irascible was the state of golf. Days after it emerged that he had effectively been blocked from rejoining the PGA Tour’s policy board, came the resignation of Jimmy Dunn. The American businessman was considered extremely influential in terms of existing tours entering into an agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Without such a deal, LIV and the PGA Tour will operate on completely different paths.
“Honestly, I think it’s a huge loss for the PGA Tour if they’re trying to do this deal with the PIF and trying to unify the game,” McIlroy said of Dunne’s departure. “Jimmy was basic on connection, the conduit between the PGA Tour and the PIF. It’s a real shame that he hasn’t been involved in the last few months, and I think that’s part of the reason why everything has slowed down at the moment.
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“So it’s really, really disappointing. I think the tour is in a worse place because of it. We will see. We’ll see where it goes from here and see what happens, but I’d say my confidence level for something I’ve done before last week was as low as it’s been. Then with this news of Jimmy’s resignation, knowing the relationship he has with the other side and how much warmth there is from the other side, it’s worrying. Eric Nicoli, the chairman of the European tour Group, is one possibility to replace Dunne.
McIlroy reflected on his practice routine and assessed the relative failure of European golfers in this major. And with that he left. Alone again with thoughts that I understandably have no desire to share.
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