Injured favorite: Rory McIlroy fights his way to the 2026 PGA Championship

The start of a Major week could hardly have been more bizarre: Rory McIlroy, reigning Masters champion and one of the hottest contenders for the title at the 2026 PGA Championship, left his Tuesday practice session at Aronimink after just three holes - sitting on a golf cart, right shoe in hand, laughing and waving to the fans. The reason for the early end: a blister that had been bothering him for days - and which he had tried to combat with unorthodox means the previous evening.

Here you can find the PGA Championship 2026 Tee Times.

A blister that cannot be ignored

The injury is no surprise. At the Truist Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where McIlroy finished tied 19th the previous week, the Northern Irishman had already attracted attention with a limp. When asked by a reporter, he explained the cause: "I have a blister on the little toe of my right foot. It's under the nail. So I can hardly reach it. It hurts a bit, but it'll be fine."

The unfortunate location of the blister - directly under the toenail - makes conventional treatment virtually impossible. McIlroy himself joked that he had already felt it on Friday afternoon in Charlotte, but had not thought of using it as an excuse for poor play. He didn't seem to have any long-term concerns: "No, it's fine. I'll be fit again."

Find the PGA Championship 2026 leaderboard here.

The self-operation: nail out, problem solved?

What followed is likely to make most golf pros - and probably most non-golfers - frown. On Monday night, McIlroy decided to solve the problem on his own: He softened the foot in the shower and unceremoniously ripped off the toenail himself. "I softened it in the shower and then just ripped it off," he explained a little later - and grinned.

After his Tuesday press conference in Aronimink, he left a small group of reporters with no choice: he took off his shoe and sock and presented the result of his improvised treatment. "Do you want to see it?" he is said to have asked before lifting the plaster. With the exposed toe bed in his luggage, he started training - in a shoe half a size larger than usual to give the sore area a little more room to move.

Three holes, then it was over

The plan to complete nine holes in preparation quickly came to nothing. McIlroy took off his right shoe on the third hole and paused briefly, but still finished the hole. The next break followed on the fourth tee - this time with an unusual experiment: McIlroy is said to have briefly tried on the shoe of an accompanying person before deciding to leave it alone for the day. A golf cart took him back to the clubhouse.

Anyone expecting a worried world-class player at these moments was disappointed: McIlroy waved to the spectators on the sidelines with a smile, as if he was doing a lap of honor. Golf Channel reporter Kira K. Dixon met him shortly afterwards outside the clubhouse - shoe off, toe inspected, while his team arrived with several shoe boxes.

No reason to panic - but a question mark remains

Despite Tuesday's unusual pictures, there is little cause for concern regarding McIlroy's start on Thursday. The early end to practice is generally seen as a precautionary measure - better to take it easy for a day than jeopardize the tournament. In addition, McIlroy had already completed a five-hour reconnaissance visit to Aronimink two weeks ago during the Cadillac Championship, which he deliberately skipped. The lack of practice holes is therefore unlikely to throw the experienced major champion off course.

Nevertheless, a certain question mark remains. After all, the constellation is reminiscent of Jon Rahm's withdrawal before the 2024 US Open, when the Spaniard had to pull out at short notice due to a foot injury - Rahm, of all people, with whom McIlroy will tee off in a group on Thursday. Piquant detail on the side.

Rory McIlroy as the favorite for the 2026 PGA Championship

Injury drama or not, McIlroy enters the Aronimink Golf Club in a form that he has lacked in recent years. The 37-year-old is the reigning Masters champion and became only the fourth player in history to defend his title at Augusta in April. This means he has won two of the last five Major titles in the last two years - after an agonizingly long dry spell that lasted a decade.

McIlroy is no stranger to the PGA Championship: he triumphed at Kiawah Island in 2012 and at Valhalla in 2014. A third title would take him to seven major victories - replacing current player Phil Mickelson as the record holder. So the motivation is there, the hunger is palpable. "I know how lucky I am and how privileged my situation is," he said at the press conference on Tuesday. "You have to enjoy these moments because they don't last forever."

McIlroy also seems mentally more liberated than last year, when he went through a phase of disorientation after his long-awaited Grand Slam title in Augusta. "Coming into this tournament feels very different to last year. I feel like I still have a long way to go to win more majors," McIlroy said in the press conference.

The plan for Aronimink: Full tilt from the tee

When McIlroy steps onto the course on Thursday, he will have a clear strategy in mind. At the press conference, he outlined his approach to the par-70 course in the style of a Northeast America classic: aggressive off the Tee, smart on the greens. "The strategy off the tee is almost non-existent. It's basically about hitting the Driver as far as possible and then looking ahead," he explained. The game on and around the greens is then crucial: "The greens are the main focus this week. It's about playing into the right areas and keeping the ball below the flag as much as possible. That's the key."

McIlroy is not afraid to make comparisons with similar set-ups: Oak Hill 2023, where traditional courses have been given wide playing corridors by felling trees, is a similar example. Whoever masters the Driver and reads the greens this week will have good cards - McIlroy's self-assessment included.

Outlook: Thursday, 8:40 a.m. - and a sore toe

On Thursday at 8:40 a.m. local time, McIlroy will face Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth in a high-caliber group. Whether he will play another practice round on Wednesday depends on the recovery of his toe. The damage caused by the shortened Tuesday training session should be manageable - especially as McIlroy himself makes no secret of the fact that he completes fewer practice rounds than most of his colleagues anyway. The slow pace of practice rounds at major tournaments is simply too much time for too little return, he said.

What remains is the image of a golfer who is one of the top favorites of the week even with a bare toe and painkillers in his luggage - and who carries this with a composure that reflects his maturing process over the past few years. The nail is gone. The hunger for the title has remained.