Rory McIlroy has finally broken his silence—in his own way! After a brutal showing at the 2025 PGA Championship, where his favorite driver was ruled non-conforming mid-round by the USGA (forcing him to switch clubs after just four holes), he shut the door on the media. He barely made the cut and also brutally lost to Scottie Scheffler. All 4 days, no interviews, no explanations. He bailed on the Memorial Tournament, didn’t give host Jack Nicklaus a heads-up, and left fans and commentators wondering what was going on. The backlash came fast. Accusations of poor sportsmanship lit up social media. For weeks, he stayed hidden. But now? he’s back
McIlroy was recently spotted at Oakmont Country Club, checking out the famously brutal U.S. Open venue ahead of the upcoming showdown that starts on June 12. It’s a move straight out of Rory’s playbook and that is disappear when the noise gets loud, then resurface on a golf course getting back to business. While he was on his visit, on the par-3 8th, which now plays a beefy 298 yards, he hit a 3-wood and made a bogey. A longtime member, Lynch reminded him that Johnny Miller once made par there on his way to a historic 63 at the ’73 U.S. Open. Rory, with a bit of an edge, quipped, and McIlroy replied, “That’s great. Did he make a 7 on No. 2 as well?” Well, this is not his first time visiting the course before the big play.
He visited the Augusta National before his big Masters win this year. While he was out there, he was dialing in club choices, studying the greens, and scouting any changes. “I use those trips just to refamiliarize myself with the place,” he said but it’s more than that. For Rory, these solo scouting missions are all about dialing in his mental game.
Oakmont is one of the toughest tests in golf—narrow fairways, deep bunkers, and greens that roll like glass. He added, “Honestly, for me, it’s nice to play a practice round without people around it takes the pressure off the start of the week.”
#NEW — Rory McIlroy is scheduled to meet the media on Wednesday after the pro-am at the RBC Canadian Open. The availability will be the first time Rory will have taken questions since declining requests for 4 consecutive days at the PGA Championship. @TrackingRory pic.twitter.com/l3cG1heDzf
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 1, 2025
For Rory, visiting the course early is about locking in without the cameras, fans, and pressure of a major week. When it comes to Oakmont, this visit was a must, he simply couldn’t skip preparing for such a brutal test.
A smart move by Rory McIlroy to asses this tough course
Rory McIlroy’s quiet return to the public eye through a low-key visit to Oakmont wasn’t just about getting reps in; it was a veteran move. Oakmont Country Club isn’t a course you just show up and figure out during tournament week. It’s not surprising, then, that some of golf’s biggest names have openly called it one of the most brutal tracks out there.
Phil Mickelson bluntly said, “I’ve played Oakmont the last two days, and I really think it is the hardest golf course we’ve ever played.” He made this comment after practicing there for two days ahead of the U.S. Open. Despite his impressive career, Mickelson has never performed well at Oakmont. In the 2006 U.S. Open at Oakmont in June, Mickelson missed the cut by a stroke for the first time in 31 majors after shooting 11 over par for 36 holes. There are other players in the same line.
“I know that Oakmont is in the rotation, and I know that if you win a U.S. Open at Oakmont, you can go ahead and say that you’ve conquered the hardest test in all of golf, because this is arguably the hardest course in America day-to-day,” said Jordan Spieth. He visited Oakmont in 2016 to prepare for his title defense and was struck by the course’s difficulty. It has narrow fairways, extremely fast greens, and many bunkers, making it very challenging.
Now, the question is—will that little trip to Oakmont give him the edge to win the U.S. Open next week? If he pulls it off, it will be his second U.S. Open title.
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