The 2025 PGA Championship was a disastrous outing for Rory McIlroy. The 5-time Major winner got into a tough spot even before he got on the course, when his driver was found to be non-conforming after testing was done. McIlroy had to use his backup driver and ended up carding his worst finish of the season, T47. During this entire fiasco, he refused to speak to the media at Quail Hollow.

Fans were speculating and criticizing McIlroy for using a non-conforming driver, stating that he must have gained an unfair advantage because of this, leading to his 2025 Masters win. A week later, the Northern Irish golfer withdrew from the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament. He did so without any explanation or reason, and he incensed the fans further by failing to notify Jack Nicklaus, a celebrated golfer, before making the decision public. When asked whether he was surprised by the 36-year-old’s decision, Nicklaus agreed, “A little bit.”

McIlroy ready to face the music

Now, after nearly two weeks of radio silence, the Northern Irish golfer is scheduled to do a press conference ahead of his participation at the RBC Canadian Open. His interview is scheduled on Wednesday, June 4, along with the Canadian trio of Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, and Nick Taylor. This will be a highly anticipated event as many of the media personnel will be looking into key events, for which no explanation was given by the 2025 Masters champion.

One would be the unfortunate driver incident and his subsequent dip in form at the PGA Championship. The second would be his surprise withdrawal from the Memorial Tournament in Ohio. The questions McIlroy will be asked will be centered on these two themes, most likely. The Career Grand Slam winner will be prepared to take on these questions, but whether the answers are satisfactory will be a whole other deal.

Rory McIlroy’s impressive RBC Canadian Open record

While McIlroy’s withdrawal from the Memorial Tournament might be a huge point that could get resolved during the press conference, his participation at Ontario will not be questioned. McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in his last four attempts at the RBC Canadian Open, which includes two titles as well, in 2019 and 2022.

He won at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2019 with a tournament record score of 258, with his nearest challengers, Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson, being 7 strokes behind him. Three years later, he defended his title at the St. George’s Golf and Country Club, beating Tony Finau this time by two strokes. He finished T9 in 2023, before finishing T4 last year. McIlroy will want to be in the best of form ahead of the US Open, which is happening the week after, and the Canadian Open is the ideal springboard for that.

Can Rory McIlroy defy his naysayers and start another win streak on the PGA Tour this season?