Few courses in professional golf feel as entwined with Rory McIlroy’s career as Quail Hollow. It was here, in 2010, that he claimed his maiden PGA Tour title. Here, where he shot a course-record 61 five years later. Here, he cruised to victory at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2024. But not this week. Not this version of Rory McIlroy. Not this version of Quail Hollow.
The 2025 PGA Championship began with promise in the air — the kind McIlroy himself had helped create. Just weeks removed from finally capturing a green jacket at Augusta, completing the career Grand Slam, many expected that elusive fifth major might quickly give way to a sixth. He arrived not just as a sentimental favourite, but as a legitimate one. A multiple winner already this season. The course? Familiar. The form? Peaking. The belief? Palpable.
And yet, the first round told a different story.
Driver Drama and a Faltering Start
McIlroy opened with a ragged 74 on Thursday. Most striking was the driver, usually his greatest weapon, reduced now to something closer to a liability. He found just four fairways in regulation. The numbers were jarring, but the visuals told their tale: errant tee shots, pulled irons, forced recoveries. Even alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Xander Schauffele — two men caught in the chaos of a double-bogey mess on the par-4 16th — McIlroy seemed the most adrift.
News emerged Friday of a potentially significant disruption to his preparation. His regular driver had failed a conformity test earlier in the week, forcing a last-minute switch. The replacement was made to match his specifications precisely, but such changes are rarely invisible in golf. Feel, rhythm, timing — these intangibles are hard-earned and easily lost.
To his credit, McIlroy responded with resilience on Friday, carding a two-under 69 that steadied the ship and ensured he’d see the weekend. But the round was laced with frustration. Four bogeys again stunted any momentum, and while his power off the tee returned — including a 379-yard missile, the second-longest of the week — accuracy remained elusive.
Saturday’s 72, meanwhile, felt like a summation of the week as a whole: flashes of brilliance, undermined by unforced errors and a short game that never quite clicked. The statistics confirmed the eye test. McIlroy ranked 70th in driving accuracy, despite being 4th in distance. He was 59th in strokes gained around the green, 51st in putting, and had made just ten birdies across three rounds — tied for 43rd in the field.
No Magic on Sunday
Sunday offered no redemption. Bogeys at the 1st and 3rd left McIlroy looking disinterested. A birdie at the 5th and a pitch-in at the 8th brought him back to level par for the day, +2 overall. Brief flashes of a charge flickered, but a wet ball on approach proceeded a bogey at 14 halted any momentum. He bounced back with a birdie at 15, only to drop another shot at 17 after a poor wedge and two-putt. A closing par at 18 sealed a 72 — +3 for the championship.
It’s not a result that will define him, but it may serve as a necessary jolt. The Augusta afterglow has dimmed. The climb begins again. The Memorial looms at the end of May, with Oakmont — demanding, daunting, but built for bombers off the tee — awaiting in June. McIlroy will know that his window remains open. But weeks like this are reminders: nothing is guaranteed even for the game’s most gifted.
Not even at Quail Hollow.