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Rory McIlroy finally faced the press after repeatedly skipping media interactions following the non-conforming driver incident at Quail Hollow. Before his upcoming contest at the RBC Canadian Open, he clearly explained his stance regarding his decision. Fans on social media have now reacted to this.
McIlroy's driver incident stirred up a lot of controversial opinions online and the allegations got louder due to him avoiding the media. McIlroy had to go through numerous taunts, some of which even indicated at him allegedly cheating. Before he steps up at TPC Toronto, Osprey Valley, the golfer has now given a statement.
The five-time Major champion clearly expressed his frustration regarding how the information about his driver was leaked. Rory McIlroy's statement reflected that he wanted to protect Scottie Scheffler, TaylorMade and the USGA since the test results were supposed to remain confidential. NUCLR Golf shared the Northern Irishman's recent media interaction on X:
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This has put fans siding with the sixth career Grand Slam winner. A section of them slammed the media for reportedly making McIlroy's decision a coverable issue. Most of them supported how Rory McIlroy decided to handle the situation after the incident at Quail Hollow Golf Club. Take a look at some of the comments:
"Well put, Rory🫡" someone said in the comments.
"I don’t like how the news was leaked…." a fan said in the comments.
"You don't have to explain yourself. People forget about Tiger back in the day," someone sided with Rory McIlroy in the comments.
"He’s right. The media sucks" a fan said below the post.
"I'm not a fan of Rory's by any stretch, however I see his point here and I have no issue with them skipping media requests cause it is a request not a requirement..." another fan supported McIlroy below the post.
"Seems perfectly reasonable to me. I think everything he said makes total sense," an X user wrote below.
Rory McIlroy's response reflects a broader problem with the challenges of equipment compliance in the sport itself. Although it's a routine check, the issue can often impact a player's image in the public court of opinion.
Exploring what happened with Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow
Before the 2025 PGA Championship started, Rory McIlroy was on the list of probable title winners. Considering past records, especially at the Wells Fargo Championships, the PGA Tour veteran had promising records at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
McIlroy faced a major setback just before the contest started, as the United States Golf Association conducted an equipment check. Following the routine procedure, USGA declared his primary TaylorMade driver non-conforming. Although the same thing happened to Scheffler, the news about him was not leaked.
Reports indicated that it was deemed non-conforming due to problems with COR, and McIlroy had to switch to his secondary backup driver. The World No. 2 professional golfer suffered an unprecedented debacle at the PGA Championship. Even though he made the cut, McIlroy finished T47, with a total score of 3 over par.
Throughout the four days at Quail Hollow, the 29-time PGA Tour winner kept avoiding press conferences. Even after the Major was over, McIlroy stayed away from interviews, without citing any reason.
