Rory McIlroy joked about the Masters controversy before the PGA Championship. (Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy fired back at critics who took issue with his Masters preparation strategy, joking that he “lived” at Aronimink Golf Club as he gears up for the PGA Championship in Philadelphia.
McIlroy ended his 11-year major drought last year when he captured the Masters title, becoming just the sixth golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam. He etched his name further into the record books this year by defending his title, becoming only the fourth player to win back-to-back at Augusta National.
The Northern Irish star drew criticism after revealing he had been making frequent private jet trips to practice at Augusta, taking full advantage of his privileges as reigning Masters champion. McIlroy took breaks both before and after the tournament, and playfully admitted he had also been scoping out the upcoming PGA Championship venue. It comes after Donald Trump shows true colors as LIV Golf star flags him down on course.
After his strategic rest period ahead of the Masters, McIlroy chose to spend quality time with his family following his successful title defense. However, his admission of regularly flying by private jet to Augusta National to practice sparked considerable backlash from critics who felt he had gained an unfair edge.
Many argued that McIlroy had exploited his champion’s privileges to gain an undue advantage, despite his acknowledgment that golf icon Jack Nicklaus had personally recommended the approach. McIlroy made his competitive return at the Truist Championship, finishing tied-19th.
Rory McIlroy says criticism of his exhaustive Masters preparation was ‘weird’ (Image: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
As he completed his round, McIlroy was quizzed about his preparations for the PGA Championship. With a nod to the Augusta controversy, he quipped that he had practically been living at Aronimink Golf Club, turning the earlier criticism on its head with characteristic humor. “I lived there for a week. Just played it every day,” McIlroy said while smiling. “No, I went up and back in the same day. It was good to get – we played the BMW there in 2018, but the course played a lot differently.
“It was wet in 2018 and the greens didn’t play as fast or as severe as what I felt like they played last week when I played. So it’s not a long golf course, but the big defense is the greens and they can tuck the pins away if they want to.
“But yeah it was nice to get an early look at it. It just means that the week of the tournament you’re not under pressure to play a lot of holes and historically the practice rounds at the PGA can be excruciatingly long, so it’s probably going to just be nine holes Tuesday, nine holes Wednesday.”
McIlroy addressed the recent controversy during an appearance on the New Heights podcast alongside Jason and Travis Kelce. The Masters champion opened up about his mindset heading into the Masters and touched on the backlash he faced.
“I played at probably 75 percent capacity at The Players, so I took three weeks off heading into Augusta, more to get my body right, and it gave me the opportunity to go up to Augusta and prepare maybe more than anyone else in the field, which I actually got a little bit of s— for afterward, which was weird,” he said.
Jason Kelce stepped in to defend him, responding, “Trashing people for practicing, go figure.” McIlroy replied, “I know, how about that?
“I was up in Philly on Friday, played Aronimink, getting ready for the PGA. [The course] is really good,” he continued. “There has been no one on the course since October, I think, so not a divot in the fairway, not a pitchmark on the ground. It was really nice.”