Rory McIlroy defends Media Boycott and Driver Controversy

Rory McIlroy has defended his decision to boycott media interviews during the 2025 PGA Championship, citing frustration over a leaked report about his driver being non-conforming.

McIlroy Pi--ed Over Failed Driver Leak

Officials tested McIlroy’s driver and found it didn’t meet regulations just before the tournament. This information was supposed to stay private, but someone leaked it during the event. The leak upset McIlroy, especially since officials kept a similar issue with Scottie Scheffler’s driver confidential. As a result, McIlroy did not speak to reporters after any of his four rounds at Quail Hollow Club. The 36-year-old claims he made the decision to avoid saying something he could later regret.

“I was a little pi--ed off because I knew that Scottie’s (Scheffler) driver had failed on Monday, but my name was the one that was leaked,” McIlroy said ahead of the RBC Canadian Open. “It was supposed to stay confidential. Two members of the media were the ones that leaked it.”

McIlroy also explained that he wanted to protect others involved, including Scheffler, TaylorMade, the USGA, and the PGA of America.

“Again, I didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted, either. 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. I just didn’t want to get up there and say something that I regretted at the time. With Scottie’s stuff, that’s not my information to share,” he added.

McIlroy Wants Players to Handle Media Their Own Way

Rory McIlroy is the latest PGA Tour player to skip media interviews after a round. In recent months, Collin Morikawa also chose not to speak after narrowly missing a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Shane Lowry did the same after falling short at the Truist Championship.

McIlroy recently won a dramatic playoff over Justin Rose at The Masters, earning his fifth major title. It was his 17th time playing at Augusta National. With the win, McIlroy became one of just six players in history to complete the career Grand Slam. The others are Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Gene Sarazen.