McIlroy cuts practice short with blister on his right toe

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Good thing Masters champion Rory McIlroy came to Aronimink a few weeks ago for a PGA Championship preview. His first practice round Tuesday didn't last very long. He stopped after three holes because of ongoing blister issues under his right pinky toe.McIlroy removed his shoe on the fourth tee, got into a cart and headed in. He looked a little better leaving the clubhouse, stopping to sign autographs and pose for a few pictures.McIlroy had a limp Sunday at the Truist Championship that he said was the result of a blister. That was his only tournament since winning the Masters in April."Yeah, I've got a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot, but it's underneath my nail," McIlroy said Sunday. "I can't really get to it, so it's a little sore. But I'll be all right."McIlroy told Irish media earlier Tuesday he had the nail removed and would be trying to find shoes to limit the discomfort. He has another day of practice — or maybe rest — before the opening round of the PGA Championship.Rose and PhillyJustin Rose feels at home in the Philadelphia suburbs.Rose has a history of success on the Main Line as winner of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion and a great track record with a win and playoff loss at Aronimink.The 45-year-old Englishman's second PGA Tour title came in the 2010 AT&T National. He lost to Keegan Bradley in a playoff at Aronimink in the 2018 BMW Championship. Sandwiched between those performances was his lone major victory.Rose sounded a bit nostalgic explaining his repeated success in the region."I think the whole area feels very familiar to the part of England I live in," he said. "Very leafy, very green. Even this time of year I feel like the spring here is very much like the spring in England right now. So it feels very familiar from that point of view."It's not just the change of seasons that seemingly puts Rose at ease. The old-fashioned course designs of Merion and Aronimink are part of it, too."I like the old-school golf," the 25-time worldwide winner said. "I like old-school tests of golf. I like the design and the architecture of these classic old courses, to be honest with you."Rahm's quest Jon Rahm arrives at Aronimink seeking his third major title and with an equally important task for his fellow Spaniards.Spanish players have won every major but the PGA Championship, the one tournament keeping the proud country from the Spanish Grand Slam.Rahm won U.S. Open (2021) and Masters (2023). Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal each won the Masters twice, while Ballesteros was a three-time British Open champion. Sergio Garcia also won the Masters.Rahm is at a loss to explain the lone missing major title for Spain, considering the talent of his countrymen."It does mean a lot. It's not only that, but statistically for whatever reason it's our poorest performance across all majors," Rahm said Tuesday.Scheffler takes baitScottie Scheffler is casting a wide net, on and off the golf course.Scheffler, who is defending his PGA title this week, also has interests off the course, such as owning a professional fishing team.The world's top-ranked player bought the Texas Lone Stars Angling Club in 2024. The team is part of the Sport Fishing Championship and competes in saltwater tournaments."I'm definitely interested in other things ... The fishing team is really fun," Scheffler said. "That's something really interesting for me. I love being able to see that. I would like to be able to go to one of them one day. Something like that for me is really fun."Scheffler said he only gets involved in things he believes in and is passionate about. Asked whether his ownership has made him a better fisherman, he was brutally honest."No. I'm still terrible," he said.Save the treesGolf course architects have been trending toward tree removal when restoring century-old courses. Not everyone is a fan."I've been making this joke for the last few years where I see a lot of golf courses coming in saying, 'Look, 100 years ago, this golf course was like this, there was no trees,'" Jon Rahm said. "Well, in the back of my mind, they planted those trees with the future vision of having those trees in play, and now you're taking them all out."Rahm said he appreciates the thinking of healthier turf by allowing for sunlight and better air circulation with the wind aiding overall conditions. But a lack of trees can make it easier, especially if players come into the greens from rough with a shorter club.Rory McIlroy said the removal of trees at Aronimink eliminates a lot of strategy off the tee, and Xander Schauffele offered an illustration."This week you'll see guys kind of gouging it towards the green," Schauffele said. "If there's a tree there, you'd be chipping out sideways. This is the type of rough where you can't get a ball to curve at all. You just grab a high-lofted club and hit a knuckleball and have it kind of trundle somewhere."