CRAWFORD | Life is swirling, but Rory McIlroy is shooting straight heading into PGA at Valhalla | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The edict went out when Rory McIlroy arrived at Valhalla Golf Club for this week’s PGA Championship and was repeated before he sat down with reporters Wednesday: “He will not be making any additional comments on his private life.”

On Monday, TMZ broke the story that McIlroy filed for divorce from his wife of seven years. And yeah, when you’re a public figure, that stuff is going to get out and it’s going to be a story, even if it is nobody’s business, really. His manager told the publication that McIlroy hoped to keep the situation “as amicable and respectful as possible.”

And true to that word, when asked, “How are your energy levels, and on a personal level, how are you doing?” His answer was emphatically brief. Six words:

“I’m ready to play this week.”

It's not as if personal issues are the only noise swirling around McIlroy. An outspoken defender of the PGA Tour against the rival LIV Golf Tour and the Saudi Arabian government, McIlroy has gone from a leadership role among PGA players to off the Tour Policy Board despite a bid to return.

There is plenty that could distract him.

Asked about the likelihood of a proposed deal between the PGA and LIV tours Wednesday in the wake of Jimmy Dunne’s recent resignation from the PGA Tour Policy Board, McIlroy said, “I would say my confidence level on something getting done before last week was, you know, as low as it had been and then with this news of Jimmy resigning and knowing the relationship he has with the other side, and how much warmth there is from the other side, it's concerning.”

Despite all of that, lately, McIlroy has been hitting it straight. And, apparently, shooting straight when he says he’s ready to play.

2024 PGA Championship — Spectators get autographs signed by Rory McIlroy during a practice round during the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America)
Maddie Meyer/PGA of America

How do we know that to be true? Look at the evidence. We all know something like a decision to file for divorce doesn’t happen over the course of a weekend. It happens over some time. And what was McIlroy doing last weekend?

He knew what was coming from the lawyers this week and all of the anxiety that entails. Yet he won the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow for a record fourth time, overcoming a two-stroke deficit to beat Xander Schauffele by five shots.

That win came on the heels of a win in the Zurich Classic two weeks prior with Shane Lowry.

Before arriving in Louisville, McIlroy said, “Going to a venue next week where I have won, it feels like the stars are aligning a little bit. But I have a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try to beat. I am going into the next major of the year feeling really good about myself."

What better project to sink one’s teeth into than winning a second PGA Championship at Valhalla? The first time McIlroy won here, in the 2014 PGA Championship, he was coming in off back-to-back victories, as well.

It was the last time he played this course until a practice round Wednesday.

“It was good to refamiliarize myself with the place,” McIlroy said. “The golf course is a little different than it was ten years ago, a little longer. A couple little minor changes but for the most part pretty much the same that I can remember from ten years ago. But yeah, look, game feels good coming off the back of two wins, a fun one in New Orleans with Shane, and then a really good performance last week. Just trying to keep the momentum going.”

For whatever else people want to talk about, McIlroy comes to Louisville with a great deal of confidence. He’s the No. 2 player in the world and he’s never dropped off a cliff, where majors are concerned. His last major win was that PGA at Valhalla a decade ago. But in the years since, he’s finished in the top 10 of a major 20 other times, more than any player in the world in that span.

“From a driving perspective, I think it's honestly probably the best driver I've had in the last few years,” McIlroy said. “I've really gotten comfortable with the driver, and I think some of the technical things in my swing are just a little bit better. The good drives are still very good but the bad drives aren't as bad so the misses aren't as wild. ... I would say from a technical standpoint, some of the shots that I hit last week, some of the three-quarter shots, some of the wedge shots, some of the iron shots, combined with, you know, how good I feel with the driver at the minute, you know, when I can see those three-quarter shots and those wedge shots going and starting on the right line, you know, that obviously gives me a lot of confidence.”

Momentum and confidence. That’s a dangerous combination in a four-time major champion. Certainly, McIlroy is a danger to turn attention back to his golf game this weekend at Valhalla.

“I think it's all about confidence and momentum, and I have a lot of confidence and quite a bit of momentum coming into this week,” he said. “So, it's just about trying to keep that going.”