Rory McIlroy banned from using one club at the PGA Championship after USGA ruling

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Rory McIlroy has battled his way to somewhere in contention at the PGA Championship but the Masters champ has fallen foul of a ruling which has seen his equipment choice limited.

McIlroy produced a much better second round performance to go under par and inside the cut line to make the weekend.

However, it seems that things could have been a lot different for McIlroy right from the get-go had he got his way with his driver.

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McIlroy is a TaylorMade ambassador and uses their newest driver, the Qi10.

But it looks like McIlroy hasn’t quite got to use the driver he wanted this week at Quail Hollow, after falling foul of USGA rules on the club.

Rory McIlroy banned from using ‘gamer’ driver at the PGA Championship

In news emerging as Rory McIlroy finished up his second round at Quail Hollow, it’s now being claimed that McIlroy was actually banned from using his initial driver choice for the week.

Reported on X by golf journalist Jason Sobel, it seems that the USGA deemed McIlroy’s initial choice as being non-conforming to their rules.

Subsequently, McIlroy has had to switch the club and go with a different option, which might well have explained some of the struggles he had on day one.

Now back in the game and clearly looking a touch more comfortable, it does seem like McIlroy has got used to the big stick he’s now using and will be hoping to get in contention over the weekend.

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The USGA rules for drivers on the PGA Tour

Like a lot of the rules in golf, the ruling from the USGA around what meets the criteria for an acceptable driver is complex and almost impossible to unpick for the average golf fan.

However, it does seem it could be one of a number of things that stopped McIlroy.

The USGA rules state that there are limitations on weight and adjustment, while there are also notes on items such as ‘spring effect’ and the ‘dynamic properties’ of a club.

It will be interesting to hear of McIlroy touches on this at some point and if so, exactly what he fell foul of.