Rory McIlroy is not taking allegations of unfairness regarding his second Masters win too seriously, as he playfully hit back at his critics ahead of his major return at the PGA Championship. The Northern Irishman joked that he has been living at Aronimink Golf Club to get in extra practice before the tournament this week.
McIlroy's Sarcastic Response
McIlroy, 37, faced accusations of unfair treatment following his triumphant Masters title defence last month. As a Green Jacket-winner, he made the most of his access to Augusta National and skipped tournaments in the lead-up to his second win at the iconic course. Attention now turns to Pennsylvania for the second major of the year, and McIlroy saw the funny side as he was quizzed about his preparations for the PGA Championship, which included spending time at Aronimink ahead of the Truist Championship.
"No, I lived there for a week," he told one reporter when asked about his recent visit to Philadelphia. "Just played it every day (smiles). No, I went up and back in the same day." He added, "It was good to get...we played the BMW (Championship) there in 2018 but the course played a lot differently. It was wet in 2018 and the greens didn't play as fast or as severe as what I felt like they played last week when I played. So it's not a long golf course, but the big defence is the greens and they can tuck the pins away if they want to."
"But yeah it was nice to get an early look at it. It just means that the week of the tournament you're not under pressure to play a lot of holes and historically the practice rounds at the PGA can be excruciatingly long, so it's probably going to just be nine holes Tuesday, nine holes Wednesday."
Masters Controversy and Response
The comments indicate McIlroy is not taking any criticism too harshly in the wake of his Masters triumph. Some golf figures raised umbrage with the Northern Irishman ignoring other competitions to focus solely on his prep at Augusta, but such is the benefit that comes with winning the Masters. The Truist Championship marked McIlroy's return to action after several weeks off to enjoy his second straight Masters victory. He shot a fourth-round 67 at four-under par to finish tied for 19th place overall. It was an encouraging enough result, especially after carding a disappointing 75 on Saturday to effectively end his chances of winning a record-extending fifth crown at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
PGA Championship Preparations
More than 60 years have passed since Aronimink last hosted the PGA Championship. It did host the BMW Championship as recently as 2018, where McIlroy finished fifth and only two strokes behind eventual winner Keegan Bradley. As aforementioned by McIlroy, the conditions are expected to be a lot dryer when play commences this week. He has won two PGA Championships in his career, though the most recent of those was all the way back in 2014. That being said, a few days of practice at Aronimink ahead of time could pay dividends when the action gets underway. And there can be no accusations of unfairness this time around if he makes it two major wins in a row.
