Rory McIlroy forced into last-minute driver change before PGA Championship 2025: Report

Rory McIlroy is struggling at the PGA Championship 2025 so far, and a last-minute forced driver change could be a reason behind that. As per reports, the star golfer was asked to change his TaylorMade driver after it was deemed non-conforming by USGA officials.

On Friday, May 16, Rory McIlroy carded a 2-under 69 and was tied for 63rd after two rounds. He made six birdies and four bogeys to finish at 1-over par, nine strokes off the lead.

According to Jason Sobel of SiriusXM Radio, Rory McIlroy's TaylorMade gamer driver was deemed non-conforming by the USGA on Tuesday, May 12. His driver was tested ahead of the second major championship, and unfortunately, he had to make last-minute changes to his driver.

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The USGA officials and PGA of America declined to comment on the issue, citing the confidentiality of the testing results. However, McIlroy can choose to speak about the incident if he wishes to.

Speaking on the matter, Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner came to McIlroy’s defense, stating that players don’t always have control over such situations.

"The USGA conducts these tests pretty much every week out here on professional golf tours," he told Xirius XM. "They test drivers across all aspects of the face. Drivers fail all the time. Every single week, somebody’s driver fails. It is by no fault of the player. They don't know how to manipulate anything. It is a sophisticated testing system."

"And when you're a player like Rory McIlroy who hits the ball as hard as he does, the face naturally thins out, even if you're just hitting the ball normally. But with Rory’s speed, it thins out a little quicker. It's unfortunate that this happened during the week of a major, and maybe it cost him a few shots yesterday, but he seems to have it figured out today," he added.

The effect of the driver change was visible in McIlroy’s game as he hit just four fairways in the opening round of the PGA Championship 2025. The second round was slightly better, with six fairways hit.

When will Rory McIlroy tee off at the PGA Championship 2025, Round 3?

Rory McIlroy is paired with Xander Schauffele for the third round of the PGA Championship 2025. The duo will tee off on Saturday, May 17, at 8:25 a.m. ET from the first hole.

Following the second round, Jhonattan Vegas holds a two-shot lead over the field. The Venezuelan star shot a 70 in the second round to sit at 8-under overall. Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim, and Matthieu Pavon are tied for third at 6-under.

Third-round action at Quail Hollow will begin at 8:15 a.m. ET with Max Greyserman and Sam Burns teeing off from the first hole. Leader Vegas is paired with Pavon and will tee off at 2:45 p.m. ET.

About the author

Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

He is a keen follower of the sport and keeps himself updated about the latest trends, news and updates via social media and various news platforms. Shobhit is also methodical about accuracy, going through multiple articles from leading media houses and reputed sources before writing his own. Simultaneously, he specializes in writing reader-friendly content that conveys the necessary information in simple language.

Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

He likes to spend his downtime singing and writing, while he is also an avid watcher of cricket and tennis.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti