Rory McIlroy returned to the course after an extended absence following his Masters win, but now the golfer is dealing with an injury. McIlroy revealed that he played through a blister at the Truist Championship as the golfer was seen limping during the final round.
The star does not appear concerned about the injury heading into the PGA Championship, but his status is worth monitoring with the major teeing off on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
“I’ve got a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot,” McIlroy told reporters on May 11. “But it’s underneath my nail.
“So I can’t really get to it. So it’s a little sore, but I’ll be all right.”
McIlroy was asked in a follow-up question about any long-term concerns regarding the injury.
“No, it’s fine,” McIlroy added. “I’ll be okay.”
McIlroy scoffed at the notion that the blister was the cause of his poor third-round performance.
“No, not at all,” McIlroy explained. “No, that was — I wish that was an excuse, but absolutely not.”
Rory McIlroy Played in His 1st PGA Event After Skipping 3 Straight Tournaments Following the Masters
It is still less than ideal news with the PGA Championship just days away from starting. McIlroy finished with a solid final round, notching a 4-under-par 67.
The star finished T19 for the week, recovering from a 4-over-par 75 during Round 3. McIlroy noted that his play improved as the week went on after missing the three previous PGA Tour tournaments.
“Yeah, I got off to a good start, but I hit the ball better,” McIlroy explained. “I started to hit it left yesterday with everything. I spent a good bit of time on the range last night just trying to straighten it out. The range this week, the wind is predominantly been off the left, so I think when you hit a lot of balls in a left-to-right wind you start to aim a little bit left, your club face can get a little bit closed at impact just to try to counteract that wind.
“So hitting balls the last five or six days in that left-to-right wind on the range I just started to miss some left on the course. So I was trying to figure it out a little bit on the range last night, which I felt like I did and I hit the ball much better today.”
Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy Are the Favorites in the Golf Odds to Win the PGA Championship
Vegas does not seem concerned about McIlroy’s status heading into the PGA Championship. McIlroy is second in the odds to win the PGA Championship at +850, per FanDuel.
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win the major at +480. Scheffler opted to skip the Truist Championship in preparation for the PGA Championship. Instead of playing the Cadillac Championship, McIlroy revealed that he played at Aronimink ahead of the PGA Championship.
“But yeah it was nice to get an early look at it,” McIlroy remarked. “It just means that the week of the tournament you’re not under pressure to play a lot of holes and historically the practice rounds at the PGA can be excruciatingly long, so it’s probably going to just be nine holes Tuesday, nine holes Wednesday.”
Rory McIlroy Announces Concerning News Days Before PGA Championship