It's been a decade since Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship. But the Northern Irishman is back at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, and will begin his pursuit of a third career Wanamaker Trophy.
But McIlroy's personal life was thrust into the spotlight when he filed for divorce from his wife, Erica Stoll, this week.
The four-time major winner held a pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, but before he took any questions from the reporters, the moderator made it clear that McIlroy would not take any questions about his pending divorce.
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"I believe you all saw the statement yesterday from Rory’s communication team specifically that he will not be making any additional comments on his private life, so thank you all for respecting his wishes," the moderator said at the beginning of McIlroy's media availability.
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The statement the moderator referred to was released by McIlroy's camp on Tuesday. The statement noted that the pro golfer "will not be making any further comment" and "stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible."
The media session proceeded to focus almost exclusively on McIlroy's golf game and topics surrounding the second major of the year. At one point, McIlroy was asked about how he was doing on a personal level, but the 35-year-old replied, "I am ready to play this week."
The press conference did go longer than expected, with McIlroy fielding questions from the podium for around 20 minutes.
McIlroy appears to remain laser focused, even in the midst of some personal turmoil. McIlroy and Stoll have been married for the past seven years and share a 3-year-old daughter. McIlroy was spotted going through practice rounds before Wednesday's media session, but his ring was noticeably missing.
McIlroy finished in a tie for 22nd place at the Masters Tournament in April, but he has since won the last two tournaments he has competed in: the Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship.
Last week, McIlroy told Golf.com that he tends to "play very good golf whenever I have a lot of stuff going on."
"I’ve always been able to compartmentalize pretty well. I seem to, for whatever reason, play very good golf whenever I have a lot of stuff going on. I don’t know if it’s – I need that just to really – when I get on the course, really focus on what I’m doing out there. But yeah, it seems to work," he said.
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