Rory McIlroy reveals the last time he paid greens fee

Rory McIlroy has made significant progress in his golf career. From being a small participant in tournaments around the world to becoming the sixth player in history to complete a career grand slam. McIlroy recently discussed this journey during a press conference at the PGA Championship. Interestingly, the golfer, while talking about it, also revealed the last time he paid a greens fee.

For context, a greens fee is the amount of money charged to players who play a round on a golf course. This money is charged to maintain the course, operational expenditures, amenities & services, income creation, and reinvestment. Interestingly, big golfers rarely pay such costs, and while discussing it, McIlroy admitted that it has been over 20 years since he last paid any sort of greens fees.

McIlroy last paid such a charge in 2005, and it was roughly 250 euros. He specifically stated:

"Valderrama. 2005. 250 Euros."

Golf Digest reported McIlroy's response via their X (previously Twitter) account:

"A reminder that it's been two decades since Rory paid for a greens fee. 😂"

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Right now, McIlroy is competing in the second major of the year, the PGA Championship. While he entered the event with lots of hope, his performance fell short of expectations. While writing this, the golfer is tied for 51st place with a score of two over par. This puts him 13 strokes behind the current leader, Scottie Scheffler.

Rory McIlroy yet to release a statement on his driver ban

PGA: PGA Championship - Third Round - Source: Imagn

Rory McIlroy came to the Quail Hollow following a huge triumph at Augusta National this year. He won the 2025 Masters and was considered one of the favourites to win the PGA Championship as well. While things did not go as planned, the surprise is that McIlroy entered the tournament with a driver that was not deemed fit to play with. This forced the 36-year-old golfer to replace it with a backup driver.

Kerry Haigh, the Chief Championship Officer for the PGA of America, released a statement saying that several players had their clubs tested. He never identified any players, but reports later revealed that McIlroy was one of them.

"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 over a long period of time,” Haigh said as reported by the Wall Street Journal. “The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and not responsible…other than hitting the club thousands of times.”

Rory McIlroy has not attended post-round interviews following the incident. Fans are waiting to see if the 2025 Masters winner will come out on the last day of the PGA Championship to address the incident.

About the author

Anurag Bhardwaj is a Golf Journalist at Sportskeeda. With over three years of experience writing about various sports, Anurag has drawn inspiration from numerous icons, ranging from WWE’s Roman Reigns to NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes. His passion for storytelling spans across different sports, all while pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery, and he hopes to continue blending both his professions.

A single spark ignited his love for golf, and now he follows the sport with unwavering enthusiasm. Whether it’s the Masters or the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Anurag is always ready for a deep dive into the action. Through his writing, he brings the latest happenings from the golf world straight to the fans' screens. And while he dreams of stepping onto a golf course someday, he remains in awe of Scottie Scheffler’s precision, all while striving to become a great doctor.

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Edited by Rupesh