NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. -- Rory McIlroy paused his Tuesday afternoon practice round ahead of this week's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club after just three holes of play because of discomfort from an ongoing blister issue on his right pinky toe.
McIlroy, who is coming off his second straight Masters victory, waited on the fourth tee with his shoe off while a cart came out to take him back to the clubhouse.
The six-time major winner had taken off his shoe and studied his right foot, specifically his right pinky toe, multiple times over those first three practice holes. When he reached the fourth tee where there was a wait, he removed his sock and fiddled with his foot again before discussing the discomfort with his team on the fourth tee and making the decision to stop the round.
Last week at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, McIlroy had a noticeable limp during his final round, which he said was a result of a blister.
"Yeah, I've got a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot, but it's underneath my nail," McIlroy said after last week's tournament. "I can't really get to it, so it's a little sore. But I'll be all right."
Earlier Tuesday, McIlroy told Irish media that he had since removed the nail on his pinky toe and would be sizing up in shoes to try to limit the discomfort. But as he played and walked Aronimink's first three holes, he was still visibly bothered by it and it was enough to force him off the course. ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported that, after leaving the golf course, McIlroy tried on different shoes inside the Aronimink clubhouse.
With one more day until the tournament begins, it is unclear whether McIlroy will try to practice again Wednesday or whether he'll have to play through that discomfort Thursday when he tees off at 8:40 a.m. alongside Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth. Prior to this week, McIlroy made a daylong scouting trip to Aronimink a few weeks ago that he said allows him to take a more "relaxed" approach to the tournament week.
McIlroy, who won the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, said Tuesday that he feels far more comfortable heading into this week's championship than he did last year when he secured the grand slam and his first Masters victory.
"I think I came into this tournament last year a little bit sort of uncertain of what my future was -- just like I conquered this thing that I wanted to conquer for so long, and I still hadn't really reset goals or found whatever that motivation was to keep going or go forward and set myself goals for the rest of my career," McIlroy said. "Coming into this tournament feels a lot different than what it did last year. I feel like I've got some nice clear road ahead to try to get some more of these majors."