Rory McIlroy admitted he was wrong not to bring his usual trousers after opting to copy Tommy Fleetwood's baggy style at the DP World India Championship. The Northern Irishman is headlining a star-studded group at the event, and while it's usually his golfing skills that are the talk of the town, that wasn't the case earlier this week.
The reigning Masters champion usually sports fitted slacks, but given the sweltering heat in Delhi, McIlroy took inspiration from his fellow PGA Tour star. Fleetwood, 35, is known for his baggy pants look, and McIlroy debuting his own version of the style led to jokes from the likes of Shane Lowry and Justin Rose.
McIlroy explains his fashion choice
The six-time major champion responded to the stir his fashion choice caused during his appearance on a live stream of The Locker Room alongside Sir Nick Faldo. The British icon asked McIlroy, 37, what his reasoning was for the trousers, to which he revealed: "I’m actually glad the desk is hiding them!"
He explained: "So I’ve watched and I have admired Tommy Fleetwood over the past year. In my everyday life, when I don’t have to wear what is my golf uniform, I wear a lot of sort of wide-legged or straight-legged pants. It is the in thing, the fashionable thing.
"But these are - I was saying to Anna [Jackson] before we came on - they hit a little low, they’re maybe a little short. I think as well, what’s hard is, when you have a synthetic, technical fabric like this, they’re a little bit harder to tailor."
No backup trousers
The crucial blow for McIlroy was failing to also bring his standard trousers, which he revealed to Faldo when asked about them by the 69-year-old. He said: "No I didn’t, this is all I have with me this week, unfortunately. I understand that they’re maybe not as well-fitting as they need to be but it’s a work in progress."
Fleetwood later appeared on the live stream and offered a touching response to McIlroy, as he said: "Well I would like to emulate Rory McIlroy’s career! So I’ll definitely swap some baggy pants for a few majors."
McIlroy's return to India
Ahead of the action getting underway on Thursday, McIlroy - who signed a new sponsorship deal with DP World - spoke of his delight at visiting India for the second time and competing in the tournament.
He said: "I’ve always enjoyed playing a global schedule so I was excited to visit India for the first time last season to be part of the inaugural DP World India Championship. The golf fans in India were so welcoming, and the whole experience was truly memorable, so it’s a pleasure to be returning."
