Rory McIlroy’s 2026 PGA Championship got off to the worst possible start. His 4-over for the day was simply “sh-t” as he said, but it didn’t consist only of missed fairways. It had a moment of poor behavioral judgment, too, on the fourth hole, which quickly became the biggest talking point of his opening round at Aronimink Golf Club.

McIlroy was level par through 12 holes when he stepped onto the 453-yard par-4 fourth. His tee shot faded well right into thick rough, and the reaction was immediate. He slammed his TaylorMade Qi4D driver into the turf and appeared to shout an expletive picked up by broadcast microphones.

Paul McGinley, watching from the commentary booth, responded simply: “Oh, Rory.” He then flagged that major championships now operate under an updated code of conduct, which will include the following aspects:

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• Penalty Structure: Players who engage in “egregious” behavior, such as damaging tee boxes or using abusive language, will receive a warning. A second offense results in a two-shot penalty.
• Disqualification: Further violations beyond the two-shot penalty can lead to disqualification.
• Enforcement: Referees and tournament officials have the authority to impose these penalties during the round.
• “Abuse” Definition: The code covers acts of anger, including smashing clubs, damaging course property (e.g., green/tee box damage), and verbal abuse of officials or spectators. 

The code of conduct for majors was refreshed after similar incidents involving Robert MacIntyre and Sergio Garcia went viral at Augusta National in April. Garcia damaged a tee box with his club after an angry reaction to an errant tee shot on the second hole of his final round, and Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre was also warned by Augusta officials after microphones caught him swearing and gesturing angrily during a ruinous first-round 80.

“I don’t know if that’s considered a breach or not,” Paul McGinely said of Rory McIlroy’s behavior.

The fourth hole cost Rory McIlroy more than a moment of composure. He came up short with his approach, left a chip on the slope below the flag, and two-putted for bogey to fall to one over par. He recovered with a birdie on five but then strung together four straight bogeys to close at four-over 74.

Rory McIlroy wasn’t alone in losing his cool at Aronimink this Thursday. Justin Thomas slammed his club into the ground after a poor tee shot on the par-three 14th, while Jon Rahm‘s frustration had more serious consequences. After a bad shot went into the rough on the seventh, Rahm swung his club into the ground and hit an elderly volunteer with a divot in the face. Rahm immediately checked on the volunteer and later called his actions “inexcusable.”

However, this wasn’t the first time McIlroy had a reaction on the course. At the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, he launched a club down the fairway and smashed a tee marker during a rough second round. Before that, at the 2024 BMW Championship, he threw his club into a water hazard after a poor shot.

The 2026 PGA Championship moment spread quickly, and opinions split between those who saw it as routine golf frustration and those who felt it reflected a pattern.

Fans had plenty to say after the Rory McIlroy clip went viral

“Anger issues! Maybe if he practiced more this week and worried less about a blister, he would be contending,” one fan wrote.

“It’s a blister not a f—ing amputation. Get over it sissy,” wrote another.

“A blister is the least of my worries. I’m not a pu–y. It doesn’t effect the golf swing,” wrote one fan.

McIlroy had left the course on Tuesday after just three holes, stopping twice to remove his shoe while managing a blister beneath his toenail before heading to the clubhouse to try different footwear.

“Absolut f—ing tuttly,” wrote another.

“No, but he’ll get a pass, always does,” wrote one fan, pointing out how McIlroy gets by with such things because of his status on the PGA Tour.

“Not sure why he’s upset; he said yesterday that was his strategy. Rip the driver and go from wherever it is,” mentioned one fan.

At the press conference, McIlroy said that his strategy is basically to bash the driver down there and then figure it out from there. He added that, due to the course layout, “strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent.” So, the 2x Masters winner should not be upset for a wayward shot.

“Get your money on Scheffler to win this week; he will just get better each round,” a user commented. Scheffler comes as the defending champion; as far as 17 holes went by, he was sitting at 3 under.

Do you think Rory McIlroy should be warned or penalized?