Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action after showbiz sweep as he prepares for US PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy gets his head back into golf after a whirlwind week of television chatshow appearances – most notably on the Tonight Show with host Jimmy Fallon – and, notably, his Symphony Ventures investment firm teaming up with private equity firm TPG to start TPG Sports, an investment fund that will place bets on businesses across the sports industry.

The newly minted Grand Slammer returns to the golf course for the Truist Championship in Philadelphia, which is actually a defence of the Wells Fargo title he won at Quail Hollow last year.

McIlroy’s defence, however, comes with a new sponsor and at a new venue: Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course), a classic A.W. Tillinghast designed course.

McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the two Irish players in the limited field event, one of the $20 million signature events on the PGA Tour, ahead of next week’s US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire returns to competitive action after skipping last week’s tour stop in Utah.

Maguire plays in the Mizuho Americas Championship at Liberty National in New Jersey, and is headed into a busy summer schedule with new caddie Shane O’Connell, who previously carried for John Murphy, on the bag.

“We have been getting along really well,” said Maguire. “He has been really sharp adjusting to things and adapting to different distances and spins. It has been really good.

“He is a lot younger than a lot of the caddies I have had before and he is eager to learn and eager to adapt to things, which is nice. He has taken quite an interest in the stats and the performance side of things as well. It is nice to have him on board with all that and co-ordinate with the rest of the team. I think there is a lot of potential there. We’re only a few weeks in but so far so good.”

Sport Ireland-assisted scheme helps Irish golfers around the world

The far-flung nature of professional golf – and where players must travel in chasing their dreams – is reflected on the various tours this week, where the nine men and women who benefited from the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme for 2025 are all involved in tournaments.

Conor Purcell is playing in the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya on the DP World Tour; Lauren Walsh, Annabel Wilson and Anna Foster are playing the Aramco Korea Championship on the Ladies European Tour; Max Kennedy, Mark Power, Alex Maguire and Liam Nolan are competing in the Spanish Challenge in Girona on the HotelPlanner Tour, while Sara Byrne is playing in the Arizona Classic on the Epson Tour.

The nine players selected for the scheme, funded by Sport Ireland, received €33,000 in financial support to assist with their travelling and other expenses as they seek to advance their careers. The support scheme has been operating since 1999 and, apart from the financial input, also provides coaching support, access to Golf Ireland’s National Academy at Carton House and training base at Quinta do Lago in Portugal and access to the Sport Ireland Institute.

“I believe it vitally important that we continue to invest in sport at all levels, and that we support projects such as the Golf Ireland Professional Scheme to enable our elite, high-performance golfers to excel in their chosen field,” said Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy Charlie McConalogue in announcing this year’s recipients.

Word of Mouth

“Scottie was practically flawless, which is kind of what you expect from the world number one … absolute hat’s off to Scottie, he’s played fantastic golf” – runner-up Erik Van Rooyen on getting a close-up view of Scottie Scheffler’s masterclass in winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament. Scheffler shot a closing round 63 for a winning total of 31-under-par 253, some 12 strokes clear of Van Rooyen. Scheffler’s total matched the lowest 72-hole total on the PGA Tour, first recorded by Justin Thomas at the 2017 Sony Open and again by Ludvig Åberg at the 2023 RSM Classic.

By the Numbers: 65

Séamus Power is not in the field for the Truist Championship, this week’s tour stop in Philadelphia on the PGA Tour, but the Waterford man has made it into the field for next week’s US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. Although he missed the cut in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Power finished in 65th in the PGA Championship points standings from the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge through to the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. It will be Power’s first Major outing since last year’s US Open.

On this day … May 6th, 1962

Arnold Palmer, aka The King, reigned supreme on the PGA Tour throughout 1962 and his win in the Tournament of Champions – played in May back then rather than being the opening event of the season it is now – was his fifth of a dominant campaign.

Played at the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas, Palmer shot rounds of 69-70-69-68 for a 12-under-par total of 276, which gave him a one-stroke winning margin over Billy Casper. Palmer sank a 24-footer for birdie on the final hole to claim the win, the 32nd of his career on the US circuit.

Palmer earned $11,000 for his fifth win of the season – having previously won in Palm Springs, Phoenix, Texas and the Masters at Augusta – which took his total money won at that point of the schedule to $52,308.

Social Swings

Here’s a hot take. Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don’t think so – Phil Mickelson’s crystal ball predictions didn’t age well.

Golf is a f-ckin craZ game. hit the ball better @livgolf_league Korea over 3 days than any other event back but was the worst on & around the greens. Never thot I would B back in KOREA playing golf in front of family & show BELLA the love & support here. Thank u SOBER is DOPE – Anthony Kim’s unique take on playing again following his rehab.

A sad day for my family, tragically we lost Setanta to an adverse reaction to an anaesthetic – Pádraig Harrington mourning the loss of his beloved Bernese mountain dog.

Know the Rules

In a match, player A requests player B to lift B’s ball that is on A’s line of play. Player B refuses to do so. What is the ruling?

If player A is forced to make a stroke with player B’s ball on their line after B refused to comply with A’s request, then B loses the hole. Such a situation is covered by Rule 15.3: if player B refuses to lift their ball or move their ball-marker when required to do so by another player, and a stroke is then made by the other player, player B gets the general penalty.