Rory McIlroy stays silent at PGA Championship amongst driver row

May 19, 2025

Rory McIlroy refused to speak to the media throughout the entire PGA Championship, which was dominated by Scottie Scheffler.

Fresh on the back of his win at the Masters, McIlroy ended the week three-over and tied for 47th. That was 14 shots behind Scheffler, who won the third major of his career in comfortable fashion despite Jon Rahm’s best efforts.

McIlroy’s preparations for the Quail Hollow were disrupted by tournament officials after it emerged his driver was deemed to be ‘non-conforming.’

After repeated usage over a long period of time, the head of a driver can cross a testing threshold, which simply means the ball can travel further. Around a third of the field randomly gets tested.

A statement released by the PGA, said: “The testing program is consistent with the same level of support that the USGA provides to the PGA Tour and other championships, as part of their regular programs for testing.

“Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times.

“The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance. Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue.”

Rory McIlroy’s PGA Championship rivals speak out

McIlroy’s refusal to speak with the media regarding his performance at the PGA Championship and the driver test is controversial. However, Scheffler and Xander Schauffele did weigh in on the debate following their rounds.

Scheffler said: “So the driver testing is something that regularly happens on Tour. My driver did fail me this week.

“We had a feeling that it was going to be coming because I’ve used that driver for over a year. I was kind of fortunate for it to last that long, I felt like.

“It’s a newer rule that we haven’t quite gotten right yet. I think we have some stuff to figure out. I think, if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it right, get more robust and get even more strict.

“You can test guys every week, if you want. I mean, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”

Schauffele was passionate about the debate and believes every player should be tested in order to protect the integrity of the field. He added: “It’s not right to just test 50 guys. It just doesn’t make sense if you’re in it for the spirit [of the game].

“The whole point of it is to protect the integrity of the field. If you don’t test everyone across the board I don’t think you’re protecting the whole field.

“Do it to everybody, not just a third of the guys, and if a player has a hot driver they’re still playing the tournament. Just my take.”