Rory McIlroy's pursuit of a seventh major championship title has encountered an unexpected obstacle: a blister on the pinky toe of his right foot. The world number two was compelled to cut short his practice round at the PGA Championship after only three holes due to the discomfort caused by the injury.
At Aronimink Golf Club, McIlroy was seen removing his spikes and sock to examine the issue before deciding to halt his practice session. Speaking about the blister last week, when it first appeared during the PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow, McIlroy remarked, 'I've got a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot. But it's underneath my nail. So I can't really get to it or so it's a little sore, but I'll be all right.'
Earlier, it was announced that McIlroy would be paired with Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth for the opening two rounds of the tournament, which begins on Thursday. A tie for 19th place at the Truist Championship over the weekend offered a modest indicator of McIlroy's current form, along with a recurrence of some erratic driving off the tee. However, there have been no signs of the motivation issues that plagued him after his breakthrough Masters victory in 2025.
The six-time major champion reflected on his mindset, saying, 'I think I came into this tournament last year a little bit sort of uncertain of what my future was. I still hadn't really reset goals or found the motivation to keep going forward for the rest of my career. It probably took me a good few months to get to that point. Coming into this tournament feels a lot different.'
McIlroy refused to attribute his poor performance in the third round of the Truist Championship, where he shot a four-over-par 75, to the toe issue. When asked if it had impacted his game, he firmly stated, 'No, not at all. I wish that was an excuse but absolutely not.'
The PGA Championship, the second major of the year, commences on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club. McIlroy, who secured his second consecutive Masters title last month, revealed that he visited the course last week to enhance his preparations. 'It was nice to get an early look at it,' he said. 'It just means that the week of the tournament you're not under pressure to play a lot of holes. 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.'
