Rory McIlroy’s Tuesday practice round in his second major of the year was cut short by a nagging blister that had been bothering him for several days.
According to local reports in The PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., McIlroy’s session on Tuesday lasted just three holes because of discomfort from a blister on his right pinky toe.
Reporters following McIlroy on Tuesday said he dropped his shoe on the third fairway but finished the hole. He removed it back to the fourth car before getting into a trolley and riding into the club.
After the final round of the Truist Championship on Sunday, a reporter asked McIlroy if he was limping.
“Yes, I have a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot, but it’s under my nail,” he said on Sunday. “So I can’t really make it or it’s a little painful, but I’ll be fine.”
McIlroy said he started to feel it Friday afternoon, but joked he couldn’t use it as an excuse for poor play. He added Sunday that he wasn’t worried about it long-term: “No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
Speaking to the media earlier on Tuesday, McIlroy said he enjoyed “golf style” presents Aronimink.
“It’s got a lot of bunkers. I think it offers a pretty good variety with shorter par-4s, some longer par-4s. Par-3s, there’s three pretty long ones and one shorter one,” he said. “I think in this day and age I’m not sure if it’s going to test all aspects of your bag. Strategy off the tee is pretty much non-existent. It’s basically a bad driver down there and then I figure it out from there, which I think is a lot of these newer, newly renovated — I think of Oak Hill in 2023, here — when these traditional strategies don’t make it easier. off the tee.
“But the greens are the main focus this week, and I think getting into the right sections of the greens, making sure you put yourself down the hole for the most part; that’s the key this week,” he continued. “Again, I’ve only played four competitive rounds here. I don’t know the place well enough to give you a good answer as to what I like about it, but Philadelphia is a great golf town, a lot of great golf courses, and this is certainly one of them.”
McIlroy’s is grouped with Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm for the first two rounds. They kick off at 8:40 a.m. ET on Thursday.
