Rory McIlroy opened the BMW PGA Championship with a 3-under 69 on Thursday.
He has not matched his major-championship form since April. The 37-year-old has cracked the top 10 just four times in six starts since his Masters win.
McIlroy admitted he struggles to stay motivated outside the majors. “I find it pretty difficult,” he said Tuesday at Wentworth. “I certainly found it difficult in ’25.”
“For some of the other events that you feel like you’re just filling time to get to the next major championship in some ways, and that’s hard because you don’t want to feel like that,” he said.
McIlroy’s best moment of the year, he said, came from the Masters.
Rory McIlroy Makes Personal Admission on Parents
McIlroy won his second straight Masters in April, his sixth career major. He beat Scottie Scheffler by one shot and became just the fourth golfer to win the Masters back-to-back, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
His parents, Gerry and Rosie, watched from home in Northern Ireland in 2025. They were at Augusta National this year. Gerry also played the course with his son, using a perk that lets past champions bring a guest the Sunday before Masters week.
“Just having my parents at the Masters, getting to play with my dad that Sunday before,” McIlroy said. “I would say that was probably the best. Having them there was very special.”
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McIlroy’s Irish Open title defense ended at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg. He shot a final-round 67 to finish 1 under.
McIlroy skipped Lowry’s celebration and left the course early. His wife, Erica Stoll, and daughter, Poppy, had landed in London that morning.
“I’m going to see my girls in London,” McIlroy said. “I’m going to get out of here quickly. They just got into London this morning, so I’ll head over there and get back and get ready for next week.”
McIlroy and his family moved into the Wentworth estate again this month.
“It’s always nice to be back, I guess even more meaningful now that we have a home here,” he said. “It really does feel like a home event.”
McIlroy is chasing an eighth Race to Dubai title, which would tie him with Colin Montgomerie for the most all time. Patrick Reed leads the rankings, with McIlroy second.
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