PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA | Daylight had scarcely broken when Rory McIlroy made his appearance at the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on the eve of the Players Championship. Digging his hands deep into his pockets for warmth as a smile began to spread over his face, he said to the assembled journalists: “It’s probably warmer in the media centre than out here, boys.”
McIlroy is news at every tournament he competes in, a needle mover, a spectator magnet, a fan favourite. It was that way at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the end of January, where made his debut on the PGA Tour in 2025 – and won. It was that way at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month where he tied for 15th. And it is that way at the Players this week. He has been so good for so long he seems as much a part of a big golf event as the very course the event is played on.
“He’s playing at such a high level all the time and he’s been doing it a long time now,” Adam Scott said admiringly. “I played with him a couple of weeks ago at Torrey Pines and he is a remarkable striker of the golf ball. I mean, his driving is … I got to play with Tiger Woods early in 2000. Watching him [Rory] drive it’s at that level [Tiger’s]. Maybe it’s better. I just hold his [Rory’s] game in the highest respect.”
McIlroy, who is second in the world ranking, arrives at the notoriously difficult Stadium Course, where he won the 2019 Players Championship, knowing the difficulty of the awaiting test and relishing it.
“Yeah, always good to be back here,” he said. “It seems like this tournament sort of gets bigger and better every year, conditioning of the golf course, the facilities. Obviously we had some dicey weather at the start of the week, but the golf course looks like it’s in perfect shape and should be ideal by Thursday. It’s always a tough test.
“I’d say even the two finishes post-Pebble have been almost like the worst that they could be,” McIlroy continued. “I finished bad on Sunday at Bay Hill. I finished bad on Sunday at Torrey Pines, as well [tied 17th at the Genesis Invitational.] But the one thing I would say is the turnaround in my putting from Torrey to Bay Hill was great. I finished, I think, fifth in putting last week, so to see that turnaround was really encouraging. That’s something for me to be really encouraged about going into this week, obviously, and then the next few months.”
“If you’re not executing like 100 percent, you leave yourself in spots where it’s really tough to get up and down. Mistakes can compound here pretty quickly. … Visually it’s intimidating.” –Rory McIlroy
The fierceness of the Stadium Course and its world-famous, near-island 17th green usually identify a very good player but rarely the same player. In its half century of existence only Scottie Scheffler has successfully defended his title. Why is this?
“I think you just have to be so on your game here,” McIlroy explained. “I think more than any other course that we play, that’s what it demands. You have to hit the ball where you’re looking, and if you can do that, you can do well here.
“If you’re not executing like 100 percent, you leave yourself in spots where it’s really tough to get up and down. Mistakes can compound here pretty quickly. … Visually it’s intimidating. If you’re uncomfortable with a certain type of shot, and visually it’s very demanding so it makes you uncomfortable, as well. It’s one of the best tests of the year for sure.”
People want McIlroy to talk and when he does they listen. He offered sympathy to Tiger Woods on hearing of Woods’ latest injury. “He hasn’t had much luck with injuries, has he?” He paid generous tribute to Scheffler, currently No. 1 in the world ranking, a position that McIlroy has held in the past.
“Yeah, look, it’s one thing to get to the No. 1 spot in the world, and then it’s another to stay there. I think to stay there almost requires more commitment. I think that’s what Scottie does so well. He’s so committed to his craft, and he’s always working. He’s always trying to get better, and we’re all trying to get better to keep up with him.
“He seems like he doesn’t really care about anything else apart from just trying to be a good golfer and doing the best that he can. He’s got a great attitude towards it.”
McIlroy will be 36 on May 4. He looks and sounds young for a man who has been a pro for 18 years and retains an enthusiasm for the game that is not always present in his peers. But he knows when to stop. And that will be before he becomes eligible for the PGA Tour Champions. “Something has went terribly wrong if I have to compete at golf at 50,” he said.
Of course, his own skill plays a huge part in it too and this was brought home when he talked about the newly planted tree that overhangs the fairway of the sixth hole. To an amateur, the drive looks frightening, as if hitting through a noose.
To McIlroy the tree was a challenge worth meeting and defeating this week. “You’ve got to hit it a lot lower,” he said. “It frames the entire tee box. It’s sort of like you’re hitting under, I guess, like a bridge or hitting through a tunnel almost. Yeah, you’ve got to be a little aware of your launch angle and make sure you don’t get the ball too high at the start.”
It’s a measure of McIlroy’s skill that he made a task that would frighten all amateurs and many professionals sound easy.