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Ever since completing the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy has continually searched for ways to bring fresh energy to his golf, and two familiar Ryder Cup teammates are supplying the inspiration.
Ahead of this week’s DP World India Championship, the Northern Irishman debuted a new look on the course by sporting baggy golf trousers, taking a cue from Tommy Fleetwood.
Speaking on Wednesday’s DP World Locker Room show about the style generating attention in New Delhi, McIlroy smiled: “I have watched and I have admired Tommy Fleetwood over the past year.”
He added: “And in my everyday life, when I don’t have to wear what is my golf uniform, I wear a lot of wide-legged pants. It is the in-thing, the fashionable thing.”
Asked how the outfit felt to play in, McIlroy noted: “These hit a little low, maybe a little short … I understand they are maybe not as well-fitting as they need to be,” before noting that “they are a work in progress.”
McIlroy has changed his traditional look (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)
Beyond fashion, McIlroy is also working on building a replica of the “performance trailer” he uses for fitness and recovery during PGA Tour events in the United States, aiming to gain an advantage when playing on the European tour.
He drew inspiration for the project from tennis icon Novak Djokovic and fellow golfer Justin Rose.
“I decided to pull the trigger on it when Justin won in Memphis last year,” McIlroy said. “He’s 45 years old, playing great, contending in major championships, and at that time I was 36. I was like, I want to play really well for the next 10 years — I feel like I need to do something like this.”
McIlroy intends to have the trailer ready by the summer of 2027, by which point he could be chasing a record-equalling eighth Order of Merit title on the European circuit.
Four events remain in the Race to Dubai season, with McIlroy featuring in three, starting in India. He sits third in the standings behind Patrick Reed and Eugenio Chacarra, though little separates the top trio ahead of events in India, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Reed’s momentum has slowed following a shoulder injury that forced his withdrawal from the BMW PGA Championship and led to a missed cut at the Spanish Open. Conversely, Chacarra has overtaken McIlroy thanks to a tie for third at the French Open and a tie for second in Spain.
“It’s still anyone’s game,” Reed declared on Wednesday.
The American said he was swinging comfortably again after sustaining the shoulder issue at Wentworth. Having missed tournaments in France and Scotland, he returned in Spain with rounds of 73 and 71 to miss the cut.
“For me, I was itching about getting back and getting out and playing,” Reed said. “Did I come back too early? Who knows. At the end of the day the good thing is I can’t hurt it worse, and because of that, I have the confidence and the comfort level to come out here and execute and perform at the highest level.”