Rory McIlroy has handled major pressure before. What he has not handled yet is 72 holes at Aronimink with a blister that already stopped him three holes into a practice round on Tuesday.

As per reports, he took his shoe off on the third fairway, finished the hole, then removed it again on the fourth tee before heading in. At the fourth tee, he tried on another person’s shoe and said he was not bothered by it while standing. Per Paolo Uggetti, another pair of shoes may be on their way, with McIlroy now in the clubhouse, trying different options

McIlroy had already been visibly limping during last week’s Truist Championship, where he carded rounds of 70-67-75 to finish 37th. Speaking after the weekend, the golfer was straightforward and optimistic.

“I’ve got a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot, but it’s underneath my nail. So I can’t really get to it. It’s a little sore, but I’ll be all right.”

Competitive golfers walk six to seven miles per round, and a painful blister on the trail foot directly disrupts weight transfer and rotational stability through every swing. NHS Inform and DermNet NZ note that foot blisters under repeated pressure can last two weeks or longer and actively impair athletic performance when friction continues. But why would McIlroy not take some rest to heal? That is because the stakes this week are significant.

• A win at Aronimink would give him his seventh major, moving him past Nick Faldo’s six to become Europe’s most successful men’s major winner.
• If he wins, it would be his third PGA Championship, adding to his 2012 and 2014 wins.
• Having already won the 2026 Masters, back-to-back majors in the same calendar year would be the first time it has happened since Phil Mickelson in 2006.

What is astonishing is that McIlroy had dismissed any suggestion that the blister cost him at the Truist Championship. The real question now is whether or not this painful blister will become a massive injury threat or reopen in the upcoming four competitive rounds.

Notably, this is not the first time a foot injury has threatened a major week for McIlroy. In July 2015, he suffered a complete rupture of his left ATFL ligament playing football with friends in Northern Ireland, forcing him to WD from defending his Open Championship title at St. Andrews. He returned just 40 days later at the 2015 PGA Championship.

In fact, this year, in February, he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational minutes before his third-round tee time due to lower back spasms, showing he is willing to protect himself from any long-term issues. This makes Tuesday’s early exit from the practice round difficult to ignore.

When pressed further on the toe, Rory McIlroy kept it brief. “It’s fine; I’ll be ok.”

Despite the foot concern, McIlroy has been studying Aronimink carefully this week.

Rory McIlroy eyes aggressive strategy to claim third PGA title

McIlroy believes Aronimink suits his game. He draws comparisons to Oak Hill, where he contended in 2023, pointing to wide fairways and removed trees as reasons to attack from off the tee. “If I get the driver in the groove this week, I’ll have plenty of chances to make birdies,” he said.

Strategy off the tee, McIlroy admits, is almost irrelevant here. “It’s basically bash; driver down there and figure it out from there.”

Rory McIlroy last played Aronimink in 2018, finishing fifth in a rain-soaked week when Keegan Bradley beat Justin Rose in a playoff. He expects a drier, firmer setup this time, which he believes will expose the greens as the course’s sharpest defence and the week’s defining factor.

A win would be his third PGA Championship, following titles at Kiawah Island in 2012 and Valhalla in 2014. Back-to-back majors in the same calendar year would also be the first since Phil Mickelson in 2006. The course sets up for him. The foot needs to cooperate.