McIlroy Says Toe Is Uspga Ready After 9-Hole Practice

Rory McIlroy said his sore right little toe was not stopping him from preparing for the uspga after he completed nine holes of practice on Wednesday at Aronimink near Philadelphia. The Masters champion said the foot felt "totally fine" after a week in which he had cut short practice and worried about how he would handle the walk.

McIlroy at Aronimink

McIlroy had stopped on Tuesday after only three holes, leaving from the fourth tee in a golf cart because he did not think he could walk the next six. By Wednesday, he had finished nine holes and said he was "pleasantly surprised" by how the foot responded.

The issue started last week at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, where he felt discomfort from a blister under the toenail on his right foot. At the start of this week he removed the nail and popped the blister, then added a switch of footwear and extra padding to get through his preparation.

Footwear and the right little toe

"I figured it out and separated the little toe from the other ones and a bit of cushion around it definitely helped," he said. McIlroy also moved into a shoe that was "half a size up" and "a wide fit," giving the foot more room while he practiced on the 7,394 yard Aronimink course.

He said the pain was still most likely to surface walking downhill, when the foot slid into the front of the shoe, but added that it was "totally fine." After Wednesday's work, he summed up the issue as "A mountain out of a molehill."

Spieth and Rahm

McIlroy begins his attempt to win a third US PGA title at 13:40 BST on Thursday, which is 08:40 local time. He is grouped with Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm for the opening round, a strong first test on a course that asks plenty of players even when they are fully healthy.

For McIlroy, the immediate concern is simpler than title talk: the foot held up long enough to finish the session, and the final check before the second major of the year went in the right direction.