Report: McIlroy's driver deemed nonconforming ahead of PGA Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rory McIlroy was forced to use a backup driver in the PGA Championship when his regular driver was tested and deemed to be nonconforming after he arrived at Quail Hollow, according to a report on XM Sirius PGA Tour Radio.

McIlroy was tied for last in driving accuracy among the 74 players who made the cut on Friday, hitting only 10 fairways in two rounds. The Masters champion made the cut on the number after a bogey on the final hole when he drove left beyond a creek against corporate tents.

For the second straight day, McIlroy left Quail Hollow and declined to speak to the media.

The USGA, which tests clubs to make sure they are conforming at the request of the tournaments in the U.S. and Mexico, confirmed the USGA did testing at Quail Hollow when asked by the PGA of America. All tests are done before the first round.

“That program is consistent with the same level of support that we provide to the PGA Tour as part of their regular program for driver testing,” the USGA said.

Results are confidential.

The PGA of America did not immediately respond to a request for such information as how many players submitted drivers for testing, instead referring to the USGA statement.

The tests typically are random, and it is not unusual for testing ahead of major championships.

One such case was in 2019 at Royal Portrush for the British Open, when Xander Schauffele was among 30 players randomly selected to have his driver tested by the R&A, which governs golf everywhere but the U.S. and Mexico.

Schauffele said he wasn't aware his driver didn't conform until notified, and then worked into Tuesday evening that week to find a replacement. And he was furious with the R&A for not keeping the matter confidential.

“I've been called a cheater by my fellow opponents,” Schauffele said in 2019 at Royal Portrush. “It's all joking, but when someone yells ‘Cheater’ in front of 200 people to me, it's not going down very well.”

Drivers often can fall outside the limits after a lot of use. While McIlroy and others keep backups with them in case they crack, it can take time for them to feel as comfortable with it as their regular drivers.

McIlroy tied for seventh last week at the Truist Championship. He is coming off the greatest moment of his career last month when he won the Masters on his 17th try to become only the sixth player in history with the career Grand Slam.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)