AUG 23, 2026: Rory McIlroy’s 2026 season has reached an uncomfortable point where the questions are no longer limited to what is happening with his golf swing. After playing The Open Championship 2026, he took around a month off before returning to play the St. Jude Championship. His comeback looked strangely out of sync, as he finished 66th in a field of 69 professionals, reduced to 68 because Bob MacIntyre withdrew. At the same time, his approach to the PGA Tour schedule has drawn further criticism. He has clearly stated previously that regular PGA Tour events no longer hold the same importance to him. His focus has now shifted towards major championships and historically significant events. This has raised fresh questions about where his game and focus stand right now. “He’s basically going to leave the PGA Tour with a problem is to what do they do about it? Do they punish him?” Ian Fraser said on The Golf Asylum Podcast. “I don’t know how you can again get back to sponsors like if they do and sponsors start going, ‘Well, so it’s okay for your best players not to turn up when we’re shelling out all this money.’ I think they’ve got to make some kind of precedent over it.” Fraser and co-host Michael Sunshine were speaking about Rory McIlroy not playing the minimum number of PGA Tour events. The consequence for not playing the required 15 events is losing the membership for one year. Seve Ballesteros and Martin Kaymer both faced this punishment. Rory McIlroy, however, will be getting an exemption. The PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan invoked a controversial clause that allows McIlroy to play less. The Golf Asylum Podcast host noted that this could be fair in some sense, considering he was the most vocal during the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate. He said that it looked as if the commissioner had sort of pushed Rory McIlroy to take the podium and speak. But as Fraser notes, the issue may lie with sponsors, especially those of Signature Events. These events have a $20 million purse, which means sponsors are shelling out more than that. After spending that much money, sponsors would want elite professionals like Rory McIlroy, who have large followings, to play. However, he skipped three Signature Events this year: the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, and the Travelers Championship. While none of the sponsors have publicly complained about the same, the Northern Irishman’s absence could have hurt the economic value of a PGA Tour event. The same goes for TV viewership numbers. And even when he does show up, his performances this season have been unstable. He did score four top-ten finishes in his 12 starts so far, which also include his Masters 2026 win. However, there’s no consistency, as he could manage only seven top-25 finishes. This is unlikely for a World No. 2 and for someone with his potential. This made Fraser say, “There’s no doubt about it. The guy just looks like golf’s just not his happy place right now.” This comes after his poor performance at the St. Jude Championship. He carded rounds of 74-70-72-72 to finish eight-over 288. Across the four rounds, he hit 12 birdies, 14 bogeys, and three double bogeys. Driving, which is often regarded as his biggest weapon, completely failed at the playoff opener. His SG: Off-the-Tee was -3.740, and he ranked 66th in the field. His putting was equally poor, as his strokes gained in putting were -3.469. However, this was his last week’s performance; this week, he is looking more like himself as the six-time major winner. Rory McIlroy rises back into form After a failed ride at the St. Jude Championship 2026, McIlroy is in contention to win the BMW Championship 2026. The biggest problem was his driving and putting in Memphis, which seemed completely off, and he himself admitted that. “I felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing,” Rory McIlroy said last week. This time, however, both his driving and putting skills are on display. His longest drive has been 366.00 yds, while his average is currently at 343.40 yards when he is through 12 holes in the final round. But he did admit that he is still struggling with swing issues. He took the lead right from the opening round, where he hit six birdies to finish six-under 64 and tie for co-leader. However, he plummeted through a few positions after his one-under 69 in Round 2. The second round featured only two birdies and a bogey. McIlroy then made a strong comeback with a five-under 65. This included six birdies and a bogey on the par-four 14th. Today, he opened with a birdie on the first hole. But then, he made two bogeys on the fourth and the seventh, and then compensated for those with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and the ninth. Rory McIlroy then hit a birdie on the par-four 11th. Through 12 holes now in the final round, his cumulative score is 14-under par, and he is co-leading with Wyndham Clark, who is three-over in his 12 holes today. Rory McIlroy’s strong showing at the BMW Championship offers a much-needed response to the concerns raised after his St. Jude struggles. It suggests that his game may be closer to a reset than a decline. Still, his limited schedule and the questions surrounding his PGA Tour commitment remain. of the Northern Ireland walks off the 1st tee during the final round of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. /CSM St. Louis United States – ZUMAc04_ 20260823_zma_c04_071 Copyright: xRomanxPunox
AUG 23, 2026: Rory McIlroy’s 2026 season has reached an uncomfortable point where the questions are no longer limited to what is happening with his golf swing. After playing The Open Championship 2026, he took around a month off before returning to play the St. Jude Championship. His comeback looked strangely out of sync, as he finished 66th in a field of 69 professionals, reduced to 68 because Bob MacIntyre withdrew. At the same time, his approach to the PGA Tour schedule has drawn further criticism. He has clearly stated previously that regular PGA Tour events no longer hold the same importance to him. His focus has now shifted towards major championships and historically significant events. This has raised fresh questions about where his game and focus stand right now. “He’s basically going to leave the PGA Tour with a problem is to what do they do about it? Do they punish him?” Ian Fraser said on The Golf Asylum Podcast. “I don’t know how you can again get back to sponsors like if they do and sponsors start going, ‘Well, so it’s okay for your best players not to turn up when we’re shelling out all this money.’ I think they’ve got to make some kind of precedent over it.” Fraser and co-host Michael Sunshine were speaking about Rory McIlroy not playing the minimum number of PGA Tour events. The consequence for not playing the required 15 events is losing the membership for one year. Seve Ballesteros and Martin Kaymer both faced this punishment. Rory McIlroy, however, will be getting an exemption. The PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan invoked a controversial clause that allows McIlroy to play less. The Golf Asylum Podcast host noted that this could be fair in some sense, considering he was the most vocal during the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate. He said that it looked as if the commissioner had sort of pushed Rory McIlroy to take the podium and speak. But as Fraser notes, the issue may lie with sponsors, especially those of Signature Events. These events have a $20 million purse, which means sponsors are shelling out more than that. After spending that much money, sponsors would want elite professionals like Rory McIlroy, who have large followings, to play. However, he skipped three Signature Events this year: the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, and the Travelers Championship. While none of the sponsors have publicly complained about the same, the Northern Irishman’s absence could have hurt the economic value of a PGA Tour event. The same goes for TV viewership numbers. And even when he does show up, his performances this season have been unstable. He did score four top-ten finishes in his 12 starts so far, which also include his Masters 2026 win. However, there’s no consistency, as he could manage only seven top-25 finishes. This is unlikely for a World No. 2 and for someone with his potential. This made Fraser say, “There’s no doubt about it. The guy just looks like golf’s just not his happy place right now.” This comes after his poor performance at the St. Jude Championship. He carded rounds of 74-70-72-72 to finish eight-over 288. Across the four rounds, he hit 12 birdies, 14 bogeys, and three double bogeys. Driving, which is often regarded as his biggest weapon, completely failed at the playoff opener. His SG: Off-the-Tee was -3.740, and he ranked 66th in the field. His putting was equally poor, as his strokes gained in putting were -3.469. However, this was his last week’s performance; this week, he is looking more like himself as the six-time major winner. Rory McIlroy rises back into form After a failed ride at the St. Jude Championship 2026, McIlroy is in contention to win the BMW Championship 2026. The biggest problem was his driving and putting in Memphis, which seemed completely off, and he himself admitted that. “I felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing,” Rory McIlroy said last week. This time, however, both his driving and putting skills are on display. His longest drive has been 366.00 yds, while his average is currently at 343.40 yards when he is through 12 holes in the final round. But he did admit that he is still struggling with swing issues. He took the lead right from the opening round, where he hit six birdies to finish six-under 64 and tie for co-leader. However, he plummeted through a few positions after his one-under 69 in Round 2. The second round featured only two birdies and a bogey. McIlroy then made a strong comeback with a five-under 65. This included six birdies and a bogey on the par-four 14th. Today, he opened with a birdie on the first hole. But then, he made two bogeys on the fourth and the seventh, and then compensated for those with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and the ninth. Rory McIlroy then hit a birdie on the par-four 11th. Through 12 holes now in the final round, his cumulative score is 14-under par, and he is co-leading with Wyndham Clark, who is three-over in his 12 holes today. Rory McIlroy’s strong showing at the BMW Championship offers a much-needed response to the concerns raised after his St. Jude struggles. It suggests that his game may be closer to a reset than a decline. Still, his limited schedule and the questions surrounding his PGA Tour commitment remain. of the Northern Ireland walks off the 1st tee during the final round of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. /CSM St. Louis United States – ZUMAc04_ 20260823_zma_c04_071 Copyright: xRomanxPunox
AUG 23, 2026: Rory McIlroy’s 2026 season has reached an uncomfortable point where the questions are no longer limited to what is happening with his golf swing. After playing The Open Championship 2026, he took around a month off before returning to play the St. Jude Championship. His comeback looked strangely out of sync, as he finished 66th in a field of 69 professionals, reduced to 68 because Bob MacIntyre withdrew. At the same time, his approach to the PGA Tour schedule has drawn further criticism. He has clearly stated previously that regular PGA Tour events no longer hold the same importance to him. His focus has now shifted towards major championships and historically significant events. This has raised fresh questions about where his game and focus stand right now. “He’s basically going to leave the PGA Tour with a problem is to what do they do about it? Do they punish him?” Ian Fraser said on The Golf Asylum Podcast. “I don’t know how you can again get back to sponsors like if they do and sponsors start going, ‘Well, so it’s okay for your best players not to turn up when we’re shelling out all this money.’ I think they’ve got to make some kind of precedent over it.” Fraser and co-host Michael Sunshine were speaking about Rory McIlroy not playing the minimum number of PGA Tour events. The consequence for not playing the required 15 events is losing the membership for one year. Seve Ballesteros and Martin Kaymer both faced this punishment. Rory McIlroy, however, will be getting an exemption. The PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan invoked a controversial clause that allows McIlroy to play less. The Golf Asylum Podcast host noted that this could be fair in some sense, considering he was the most vocal during the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate. He said that it looked as if the commissioner had sort of pushed Rory McIlroy to take the podium and speak. But as Fraser notes, the issue may lie with sponsors, especially those of Signature Events. These events have a $20 million purse, which means sponsors are shelling out more than that. After spending that much money, sponsors would want elite professionals like Rory McIlroy, who have large followings, to play. However, he skipped three Signature Events this year: the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, and the Travelers Championship. While none of the sponsors have publicly complained about the same, the Northern Irishman’s absence could have hurt the economic value of a PGA Tour event. The same goes for TV viewership numbers. And even when he does show up, his performances this season have been unstable. He did score four top-ten finishes in his 12 starts so far, which also include his Masters 2026 win. However, there’s no consistency, as he could manage only seven top-25 finishes. This is unlikely for a World No. 2 and for someone with his potential. This made Fraser say, “There’s no doubt about it. The guy just looks like golf’s just not his happy place right now.” This comes after his poor performance at the St. Jude Championship. He carded rounds of 74-70-72-72 to finish eight-over 288. Across the four rounds, he hit 12 birdies, 14 bogeys, and three double bogeys. Driving, which is often regarded as his biggest weapon, completely failed at the playoff opener. His SG: Off-the-Tee was -3.740, and he ranked 66th in the field. His putting was equally poor, as his strokes gained in putting were -3.469. However, this was his last week’s performance; this week, he is looking more like himself as the six-time major winner. Rory McIlroy rises back into form After a failed ride at the St. Jude Championship 2026, McIlroy is in contention to win the BMW Championship 2026. The biggest problem was his driving and putting in Memphis, which seemed completely off, and he himself admitted that. “I felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing,” Rory McIlroy said last week. This time, however, both his driving and putting skills are on display. His longest drive has been 366.00 yds, while his average is currently at 343.40 yards when he is through 12 holes in the final round. But he did admit that he is still struggling with swing issues. He took the lead right from the opening round, where he hit six birdies to finish six-under 64 and tie for co-leader. However, he plummeted through a few positions after his one-under 69 in Round 2. The second round featured only two birdies and a bogey. McIlroy then made a strong comeback with a five-under 65. This included six birdies and a bogey on the par-four 14th. Today, he opened with a birdie on the first hole. But then, he made two bogeys on the fourth and the seventh, and then compensated for those with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and the ninth. Rory McIlroy then hit a birdie on the par-four 11th. Through 12 holes now in the final round, his cumulative score is 14-under par, and he is co-leading with Wyndham Clark, who is three-over in his 12 holes today. Rory McIlroy’s strong showing at the BMW Championship offers a much-needed response to the concerns raised after his St. Jude struggles. It suggests that his game may be closer to a reset than a decline. Still, his limited schedule and the questions surrounding his PGA Tour commitment remain. of the Northern Ireland walks off the 1st tee during the final round of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. /CSM St. Louis United States – ZUMAc04_ 20260823_zma_c04_071 Copyright: xRomanxPunox
AUG 23, 2026: Rory McIlroy’s 2026 season has reached an uncomfortable point where the questions are no longer limited to what is happening with his golf swing. After playing The Open Championship 2026, he took around a month off before returning to play the St. Jude Championship. His comeback looked strangely out of sync, as he finished 66th in a field of 69 professionals, reduced to 68 because Bob MacIntyre withdrew. At the same time, his approach to the PGA Tour schedule has drawn further criticism. He has clearly stated previously that regular PGA Tour events no longer hold the same importance to him. His focus has now shifted towards major championships and historically significant events. This has raised fresh questions about where his game and focus stand right now. “He’s basically going to leave the PGA Tour with a problem is to what do they do about it? Do they punish him?” Ian Fraser said on The Golf Asylum Podcast. “I don’t know how you can again get back to sponsors like if they do and sponsors start going, ‘Well, so it’s okay for your best players not to turn up when we’re shelling out all this money.’ I think they’ve got to make some kind of precedent over it.” Fraser and co-host Michael Sunshine were speaking about Rory McIlroy not playing the minimum number of PGA Tour events. The consequence for not playing the required 15 events is losing the membership for one year. Seve Ballesteros and Martin Kaymer both faced this punishment. Rory McIlroy, however, will be getting an exemption. The PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan invoked a controversial clause that allows McIlroy to play less. The Golf Asylum Podcast host noted that this could be fair in some sense, considering he was the most vocal during the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate. He said that it looked as if the commissioner had sort of pushed Rory McIlroy to take the podium and speak. But as Fraser notes, the issue may lie with sponsors, especially those of Signature Events. These events have a $20 million purse, which means sponsors are shelling out more than that. After spending that much money, sponsors would want elite professionals like Rory McIlroy, who have large followings, to play. However, he skipped three Signature Events this year: the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, and the Travelers Championship. While none of the sponsors have publicly complained about the same, the Northern Irishman’s absence could have hurt the economic value of a PGA Tour event. The same goes for TV viewership numbers. And even when he does show up, his performances this season have been unstable. He did score four top-ten finishes in his 12 starts so far, which also include his Masters 2026 win. However, there’s no consistency, as he could manage only seven top-25 finishes. This is unlikely for a World No. 2 and for someone with his potential. This made Fraser say, “There’s no doubt about it. The guy just looks like golf’s just not his happy place right now.” This comes after his poor performance at the St. Jude Championship. He carded rounds of 74-70-72-72 to finish eight-over 288. Across the four rounds, he hit 12 birdies, 14 bogeys, and three double bogeys. Driving, which is often regarded as his biggest weapon, completely failed at the playoff opener. His SG: Off-the-Tee was -3.740, and he ranked 66th in the field. His putting was equally poor, as his strokes gained in putting were -3.469. However, this was his last week’s performance; this week, he is looking more like himself as the six-time major winner. Rory McIlroy rises back into form After a failed ride at the St. Jude Championship 2026, McIlroy is in contention to win the BMW Championship 2026. The biggest problem was his driving and putting in Memphis, which seemed completely off, and he himself admitted that. “I felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing,” Rory McIlroy said last week. This time, however, both his driving and putting skills are on display. His longest drive has been 366.00 yds, while his average is currently at 343.40 yards when he is through 12 holes in the final round. But he did admit that he is still struggling with swing issues. He took the lead right from the opening round, where he hit six birdies to finish six-under 64 and tie for co-leader. However, he plummeted through a few positions after his one-under 69 in Round 2. The second round featured only two birdies and a bogey. McIlroy then made a strong comeback with a five-under 65. This included six birdies and a bogey on the par-four 14th. Today, he opened with a birdie on the first hole. But then, he made two bogeys on the fourth and the seventh, and then compensated for those with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and the ninth. Rory McIlroy then hit a birdie on the par-four 11th. Through 12 holes now in the final round, his cumulative score is 14-under par, and he is co-leading with Wyndham Clark, who is three-over in his 12 holes today. Rory McIlroy’s strong showing at the BMW Championship offers a much-needed response to the concerns raised after his St. Jude struggles. It suggests that his game may be closer to a reset than a decline. Still, his limited schedule and the questions surrounding his PGA Tour commitment remain. of the Northern Ireland walks off the 1st tee during the final round of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. /CSM St. Louis United States – ZUMAc04_ 20260823_zma_c04_071 Copyright: xRomanxPunox
Rory McIlroy’s 2026 season has reached an uncomfortable point where the questions are no longer limited to what is happening with his golf swing. After playing The Open Championship 2026, he took around a month off before returning to play the St. Jude Championship. His comeback looked strangely out of sync, as he finished 66th in a field of 69 professionals, reduced to 68 because Bob MacIntyre withdrew.
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At the same time, his approach to the PGA Tour schedule has drawn further criticism. He has clearly stated previously that regular PGA Tour events no longer hold the same importance to him. He’s deprioritized regular PGA Tour stops in favor of majors and legacy events like The Open. This has raised fresh questions about where his game and focus stand right now.
“He’s basically going to leave the PGA Tour with a problem is to what do they do about it? Do they punish him?” Ian Fraser said on The Golf Asylum Podcast. “I don’t know how you can again get back to sponsors like if they do and sponsors start going, ‘Well, so it’s okay for your best players not to turn up when we’re shelling out all this money.’ I think they’ve got to make some kind of precedent over it.”
Fraser and co-host Michael Sunshine were speaking about Rory McIlroy not playing the minimum number of PGA Tour events. The consequence of not playing the required 15 events is losing the membership for one year. Seve Ballesteros and Martin Kaymer both faced this punishment. Rory McIlroy, however, will be getting an exemption. The PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan invoked a controversial clause that allows McIlroy to play less.
The Golf Asylum Podcast host noted that this could be fair in some sense, considering he was the most vocal during the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate. He said that it looked as if the commissioner had sort of pushed Rory McIlroy to take the podium and speak.
But as Fraser notes, the issue may lie with sponsors, especially those of Signature Events. These events have a $20 million purse, which means sponsors are shelling out more than that. After spending that much money, sponsors would want elite professionals like Rory McIlroy, who has a large following, to play. However, he skipped three Signature Events this year: the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, and the Travelers Championship.
While none of the sponsors have publicly complained about the same, the Northern Irishman’s absence could have hurt the economic value of a PGA Tour event. The same goes for TV viewership numbers.
Yet even his appearances have been erratic—four top-tens in 12 starts mask a lack of consistency. However, there’s no consistency, as he could manage only seven top-25 finishes. This is unlikely for a World No. 2 and for someone with his potential.
This made Fraser say, “There’s no doubt about it. The guy just looks like golf’s just not his happy place right now.”
This comes after his poor performance at the St. Jude Championship, where he carded rounds of 74-70-72-72 to finish eight-over 288. He didn’t go bogeyless in a single round. Driving, his biggest weapon, completely failed at the playoff opener. His SG: Off-the-Tee was -3.740, and he ranked 66th in the field. His putting was equally poor, ranking 61st.
However, the six-time major winner is looking more like himself this week.
Rory McIlroy rises back into form
After a failed ride at the St. Jude Championship, McIlroy is in contention to win the BMW Championship.
His biggest problems in Memphis were his driving and putting, which seemed completely off. McIlroy himself admitted that.
“I felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing,” he said last week.
This time, however, both his driving and putting skills were on full display. His longest drive is 366.00 yards (ranked 7th), while his average is 342.70 yards (ranked tied for first). But McIlroy has admitted that he is still struggling with his swing.
He took the lead right from the opening round, where he hit six birdies to finish six-under 64 and tie for co-leader. However, he plummeted through a few positions after his one-under 69 in Round 2. The second round featured only two birdies and a bogey. McIlroy then made a strong comeback with a five-under 65. This included six birdies and a bogey on the par-four 14th.
Today, he opened with a birdie on the first hole, but then made two bogeys on holes 4 and 7. He compensated with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and the ninth. McIlroy then hit a birdie on the par-four 11th. All was going well until he struck a bogey on the 17th. He’s third on the leaderboard, with Wyndham Clark leading.
McIlroy’s strong showing at the BMW Championship offers a much-needed response to the concerns raised after his St. Jude struggles. Still, his limited schedule and the questions surrounding his PGA Tour commitment remain.
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Edited by
Abhimanyu Gupta