Things Are Awkward Between Rory McIlroy & $3.5 Billion Golf Sponsor Days After He Blamed Them for Career Setback

When Rory McIlroy descended upon Toronto for the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, things should have gone better than they actually did. Instead of that, the two-time Toronto champion made a Friday exit after missing the cut by a country mile–he finished 71 and 78, respectively. A frustrated McIlroy blamed TaylorMade’s driver for missing the cut at a North American event for the first time in two years. He said, “…I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn’t.” Now, the Irishman is heading towards Oakmont, where “hitting fairways” is important, but he has refused to share his equipment changes.

Measuring 7,372 yards, the Oakmont Country Club requires accurate drivers. Hitting fairways at Oakmont Country Club is vital due to the course’s challenging design, which features narrow fairways and strategically placed bunkers. The fast, undulating greens at Oakmont require a good angle for approach shots to improve the chances of hitting the greens in regulation. McIlroy is aware of that, however, he refuses to explain how he’s going to deal with it after blaming his $3.5B golf sponsor, TaylorMade, at the RBC Canadian Open, as seen earlier.

Now present at Oakmont for the upcoming U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy sat down for a press conference. When asked if he had chosen a driver, he replied, “Yeah.” Which one is it? The interviewer asked. A laughing McIlroy replied, “A TaylorMade.” When asked which model he is going to use after, hopefully, replacing the $599.99 TaylorMade Qi35 driver he used in Toronto, he refused to answer. Instead, he replied, “I mean, come out and watch me hit balls, and you’ll see.” As fun as that answer is, his Monday practice round hints at a troubling time at Oakmont.

Rory McIlroy finished his practice round at Oakmont last Monday with an 81, making birdies on the final two holes. He described the conditions as “impossible” due to the firm and challenging pin placements. Then, he noted that the rain has softened the course, making it manageable if you hit the fairways. Whatever the equipment may be, hopefully, it will be better than the previous model. At the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, the strokes gained data revealed concerning results for McIlroy, who ranked 148th out of 153 in driving performance.

However, does Rory McIlroy believe a lack of the same driver he used to win the 2025 Masters cost him the PGA Championship? He replied, “It wasn’t a big deal for Scottie, so it shouldn’t have been a big deal for me.” At the PGA Championship, McIlroy had to change his Masters winning TaylorMade Qi10 driver after it failed a characteristic time (CT) test. He thought he found a solution in Canada by switching to a slightly shorter driver for better accuracy. However, he ended up hitting less than 50% of his fairways. Scottie Scheffler‘s driver also failed; however, the Texan went on to win his first PGA Championship. Despite McIlroy’s silence about his equipment change, this isn’t the first time TaylorMade has failed his run.

TaylorMade disappointed Rory McIlroy in 2023 as well

Rory McIlroy’s struggles with his driver were clear during the first round of The PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass in 2023, where he shot a disappointing 76. His facial expressions showed frustration and bemusement as he faced a tough course. The TaylorMade driver he switched to at the 2023 Genesis Invitational had worked well before but failed him at Sawgrass. McIlroy said, “I went to that new driver in Riviera and it’s just not [right]. I wish I could use my driver from last year but I can’t.” He added, “These driver heads are so finicky, it’s hard to get one exactly the same.”

His performance suffered due to his inability to find the fairway, hitting only six of 14. This left him playing from the rough too often. He noted, “I feel like this is as penal as I’ve seen it out of the rough for a long time. Yeah, you don’t hit it on the fairway here, you’re going to struggle.” His round started poorly with a double-bogey on the 10th hole and ended with a bogey on the 9th. He identified a critical three-putt on the par-five 16th as a key moment, saying, “That was a big turning point for me. I found the green in two, and to walk away with a three-putt was disappointing.” Overall, McIlroy’s issues off the tee highlighted the challenges he faced in a demanding tournament. So, who is at fault–the driver or the golfer?