CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Saturday, a day after events unfolded, the PGA officially announced that Rory McIlroy’s driver was found to be “nonconforming” after a random inspection by the USGA.
The driver commonly used by McIlroy was examined on Tuesday, prompting him to switch to another driver for the ongoing PGA Championship because it appeared to violate regulations.
As he entered the third round on Saturday, McIlroy struggled at Quazul Hollow, managing to hit only 10 out of 28 fairways in the first two rounds.
On Friday, neither McIlroy nor the PGA seemed to address the issue. With two over par going into the final round on Sunday, he also chose not to speak to the media that day.
A statement from Kelly Hay, the chief championship officer of the American PGA, clarified, “We confirm that the USGA was invited to conduct club tests during the PGA Championship.”
How does a driver end up being considered nonconforming? Well, it can happen due to normal wear on the clubface, which may become thinner than what the USGA allows. It’s interesting, really; a driver can be compliant in one tournament and then deemed noncompliant in the next.
One regulation set forth by the USGA and R&A concerns the driver’s characteristic time (CT). This measures how long the clubface contacts the ball both during impact and right after. It’s all tied to the elasticity of the clubface, which affects the distance the ball travels after being struck, subject to very specific microscopic time limits during testing.
In McIlroy’s case, it seems the driver’s face might have been considered too thin after a number of strikes.
“This sort of thing happens on the PGA Tour from week to week,” said Johnson Wagner, a former PGA Tour winner, while on the Golf Channel. “Unfortunately, this happened during a major event, potentially costing him a few shots, but he really isn’t at fault here.”
Criticism also surfaced from former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, who is with the Golf Channel. He expressed displeasure over the USGA’s silence on the matter, stating, “If the USGA finds a driver to be illegal, they need to make a statement and clarify it so we can move forward.”
Xander Schauffele, last year’s PGA champion, had a similar experience before the 2019 British Open when his driver failed a random test at Royal Portrush. This led him to use a different club in the opening round, a scenario that understandably frustrated him.
“The R&A was trying to tarnish my reputation by not keeping the issue confidential, which was maddening,” Schauffele commented at the time. “It’s about me responding to them the way they approached me. I only become upset when I feel wronged. It’s just an unsettling topic altogether.”
He went on to mention being called a “con man” by some competitors, a label he found quite absurd. “But it doesn’t sit well when someone yells ‘con man’ at me in front of so many people.”
