Rory McIlroy gets candid about post-Masters win hangover ahead of PGA Championship

It's nearly been a month since Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Masters, but the excitement of his victory hasn't watered down. The Northern Irishman continues to receive questions surrounding his win at Augusta, and recently he received a similar question.

On May 8th, 2025, McIlroy will tee off at Philadelphia Cricket Club's Wissahickon Golf Course to play the 2025 Truist Championship. Ahead of the conference, McIlroy was part of a press conference in which he was asked how would it feel to arrive at the PGA Championship without any pressure since he won the Masters.

Rory McIlroy said:

"I think there's a few things. I'm obviously going to feel more comfortable and a lot less pressure, and I'm also going back to a venue that I love. It's nothing but positive vibes going in there next week with what happened a few weeks ago and then with my history there and how well I've played at Quail. Yeah, it probably will feel a little bit different. I probably won't be quite as on edge as I have been for the last few years when I've been at major championships. I'll probably be a little bit better to be around for my family, and I'll be a little more relaxed. I think overall it will be a good thing."

However, before Rory McIlroy shifts his focus to the 2025 PGA Championship, he will be focused on competing at the 2025 Truist Championship. For those unaware, McIlroy is the defending champion at this tournament and there will be many eyes on him.

Other than Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Truist Championship also features popular like golfers like Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, and Tommy Fleetwood. One of the notable golfers missing from the field this week is 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson winner Scottie Scheffler.

What time will Rory McIlroy tee off in the 2025 Truist Championship?

At the 2025 Truist Championship, Rory McIlroy will be paired with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood. The trio will tee off from Hole 1 at 12:26 PM ET. Here is a detailed look at the pairings and tee off times for the Truist Championship (all times ET):

Hole 1

11:09 am: Ben Griffin, Lucas Glover, Sam Stevens
11:20 am: Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Tom Hoge
11:31 am: Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young, Max Greyserman
11:42 am: Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An, Eric Cole
11:53 am: J.T. Poston, Cam Davis, Stephan Jaeger
12:04 pm: Andrew Novak, Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland
12:15 pm: Min Woo Lee, Maverick McNealy, Jordan Spieth
12:26 pm: Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood
12:37 pm: Viktor Hovland, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa
12:48 pm: Taylor Pendrith, Tony Finau, Max Homa
12:59 pm: Nick Dunlap, Matthieu Pavon, Si Woo Kim
1:10 pm: Brian Campbell, Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Gerard

Hole 10

11:09 am: Joe Highsmith, Harris English, Rasmus Højgaard
11:20 am: Robert MacIntyre, Davis Thompson, Denny McCarthy
11:31 am: Chris Kirk, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin
11:42 am: Sungjae Im, Adam Scott, Alex Noren
11:53 am: Austin Eckroat, Aaron Rai, Will Zalatoris
12:04 pm: Nick Taylor, Erik van Rooyen, J.J. Spaun
12:15 pm: Keith Mitchell, Michael Kim, Michael Thorbjornsen
12:26 pm: Keegan Bradley, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose
12:37 pm: Russell Henley, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka
12:48 pm: Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Akshay Bhatia
12:59 pm: Thomas Detry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
1:10 pm: Garrick Higgo, Daniel Berger, Jacob Bridgeman

About the author

Varun is a Golf and WWE journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Roman Reigns’ ability to keep moving forward in life regardless of any obstacles. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he could go back in time and be a manager for someone in the WWE, it would have been Big Show.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Varun Anand Bhat