What Rory McIlroy’s club fitters are saying about his new driver as Paul McGinley decides he wants rule change

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There were plenty of eyes on Rory McIlroy heading into the US Open, with the Northern Irishman struggling for form ever since holing the putt which won The Masters in April.

Rory McIlroy arrived at Oakmont with a point to prove after not being in contention at the PGA Championship and then missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open.

It has been a surprise to many to see McIlroy struggle as he has done. While there was always likely to be a drop-off after the high of completing the career grand slam at Augusta National, it has been alarming to see him struggle in the manner he has done.

And it seems that there was one setback which caused him more problems than any other in recent weeks.

What TaylorMade have said about Rory McIlroy’s driver this week at the US Open

Reports surfaced that McIlroy had to change his driver ahead of the PGA Championship after it was found to be non-conforming. The 36-year-old was one of the players randomly selected for the test at Quail Hollow, and he was not the only one to see his driver fail, with Scottie Scheffler also having to make a change.

There was no suggestion that McIlroy did anything wrong. Nevertheless, speaking on Sky Sports, Paul McGinley has called for a change in how the USGA tests drivers at events.

“It’s somewhat of a faulty system I have to say. I think if they are going to test they have to test everybody and there also has to be transparency,” he said.

“In terms of integrity there is nobody who has more integrity in terms of adherence to the rules than Rory McIlroy, so any kind of insinuation that he was taking an advantage of trying to pull the wool over the eyes is very unfair.

“Scottie Scheffler’s driver also failed, Schauffele’s has failed in the past and a lot of players have also failed that we don’t know about. Rory’s did leak.

“I don’t know what they are trying to hide, I would prefer it to be transparent and I would prefer a better system as well that is more transparent and doesn’t let leaks come out that came out against Rory.

“He drove the ball really well yesterday. Speaking to the guys who fit his clubs for TaylorMade they really found and feel they have found a driver that suits him.”

“You remember back in the day and sometimes even now, sometimes you see a little 10p piece on irons of good players, when the sweet spot goes rusty coloured in the middle. It is the same with the driver. These faces are so thin now. The more you hit it with the speed, particularly that Rory is hitting at, the face gets a little bit thin,” he added.

“It is measured by the companies regularly, they have internal measurements themselves so it can wear. It’s a question of when did it wear.”

How Rory McIlroy performed off the tee on Thursday at Oakmont

McIlroy threatened to set the tone with a 392 yard drive early on in his first round as he opened up with two birdies in his first three holes at Oakmont.

The shine was taken off his round later on in the day. But his performance off the tee, as McGinley notes, was impressive.

He gained more than a shot and a half off the tee on Thursday in his round of four over par. So there are definitely positives to build upon for the rest of the week and beyond – even if he is not quite back to his best just yet.