There were a few indications during his opening press conference at the PGA Championship that Rory McIlroy had a chip on his shoulder which would result in the Northern Irishman not speaking to the media again all week at Quail Hollow.
The second major of the year was a strange one for Rory McIlroy. In many ways, it felt as though it was his major to win. He had won four times around Quail Hollow previously, while he had just removed the burden of completing the career grand slam the previous month.
However, had you somehow not seen The Masters, you would have been forgiven for thinking that McIlroy had another agonising finish at Augusta National just based off his mood in his press conference ahead of the PGA Championship.
McIlroy gave some surprising answers, and there were times in which he was not willing to play ball – including when he was asked what skill he would take from another player.
Rory McIlroy once suggested he would take the wedge game of former world number two
McIlroy refused to give an answer, insisting that he did not have to.
Thankfully, it is a question that he did answer several years ago. But interestingly, he did not opt for one of the biggest superstars of the sport.
Instead, McIlroy – who was speaking on the No Laying Up Podcast in 2016 – chose the skill which he felt would add the most to his own game.
“I would choose, I’d go Steve Stricker’s wedge game. He’s one of the best wedge players I’ve ever seen, and I feel like I give myself enough wedges. If I can drive it well then you put Steve in those spots, he’s going to hit it pretty close for you,” he said.
“It’s one thing in my game I feel like I still need to work on a little bit. If my wedge game got a little bit better, I think I’d be a little more efficient and take advantage of some of the drives that I hit. So yeah, that would be it.”
Steve Stricker’s remarkable career on the PGA Tour
Steve Stricker had a phenomenal career, winning 12 times on the PGA Tour. The highlight perhaps came when he won The Memorial Tournament in 2011.
Stricker did reach number two in the world rankings back in 2009 – five years after he had actually lost his card on tour. And he never managed to really make a huge impact in the major championships, with just one second place and four top five finishes across his 76 starts.
He has had a lot more joy on the senior tour, winning seven major titles. And incredibly, his tied 25th finish at The Tradition this year was the first senior major he has played where he has missed out on the top 10 since 2021. Of the 12 in between, he won five and finished second three times.
Stricker also went on to have an impressive Ryder Cup career. As well as leading USA to a record victory at the event in 2021, the 58-year-old is perhaps best known for being the player Tiger Woods seemed most comfortable playing alongside. The pair played all of their matches together at both the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cups.
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