Rory McIlroy is standing behind his resolution to skip media periods on the PGA Championship final month.
The Northern Irishman mentioned Wednesday he had been “pissed off” after information got here out that his driver was deemed nonconforming and unusable in pre-tournament testing.
Consequently, McIlroy, 36, didn’t communicate to reporters after any of his 4 rounds at Quail Hole Membership, which happened from Could 15-18 in Charlotte, the place he completed tied for forty seventh at 3-over.
Scottie Scheffler additionally had his driver dominated nonconforming earlier than he went on to win the match by ending 11-under par — however whereas Scheffler’s identify stayed confidential, McIlroy’s state of affairs was reported by SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.
“I was a little pissed off because I knew that Scottie’s driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked,” McIlroy mentioned in a press convention forward of the RBC Canadian Open, which begins Thursday at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. “It was supposed to stay confidential. Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it.”
“I didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted, either, because I’m trying to protect Scottie, 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.”
McIlroy mentioned the information of his nonconforming driver got here as a part of a “weird week,” since he had a poor first spherical, capturing a 3-over 74, completed late after his second spherical and had his third spherical pushed again six hours attributable to a climate delay.
He mentioned he “understands the benefit” of getting media protection at tournaments, however certified it.
“If we all wanted to, we could all bypass you guys and we could go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way,” he added.
McIlroy pointed to the truth that the PGA Tour doesn’t require its golfers to talk to the media, not like within the NBA, NFL and MLB.
“If they want to make it mandatory, that’s fine,” mentioned the five-time main champion. “But in our rules it says that it’s not, and until the day that’s written into the regulations, you’re going to have guys skip from time to time, and that’s well within our rights.”
