Rory McIlroy Makes Golf Shoe Change At PGA Championship

The day after cutting a PGA Championship practice round short because of a blister, Rory McIlroy has been spotted wearing a new pair of shoes during a practice round at Aronimink.

On Wednesday, the two-time PGA Champion wore a pair of custom-fitted Nike Victory Pro 4s, one of the best golf shoes of 2026. He also completed all nine holes of his practice round.

Skratch’s Riley Hamel wrote on X: “New shoes for Rory. Told Harry [caddie Diamond] on the range that the toe feels okay, but still hurts a bit walking. Said the new shoes are ‘softer.’"

That encouraging news was backed up by Today’s Golfer’s Ben Parsons.

He wrote on X: “Rory has just finished playing the back nine in a bigger, wider shoe. Told a few of us after he was pleasantly surprised how good his toe felt. Not causing pain on any of his shots and only discomfort is walking downhill. He’s good to go.”

The blister appeared on Friday at the Truist Championship, and it was still bothering him on Sunday.

Following his final round at Quail Hollow, McIlroy explained the issue, saying: “Yeah, I've got a blister on my pinky toe on my right foot. But it's underneath my nail. So I can't really get to it, so it's a little sore, but I'll be all right.”

Per the Irish Independent, on Monday evening, McIlroy took matters into his own hands, telling reporters the following day: “I ended up ripping the toenail off last night, just because it was bothering me so much. "

He added: “I just got in the bath and got the toenail to soften up and then burst the blister that was underneath. It feels better today.”

However, it was clearly still bothering him during his practice round later on Tuesday.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington on X, McIlroy was on the third fairway on Tuesday when he removed his shoe before finishing the hole.

He then took the shoe off again at the fourth tee before cutting the round short and heading back to the clubhouse on a cart, apparently to try some different shoes.

Darlington’s ESPN colleague Paolo Uggetti added: “On the 4th tee, he literally tried on another person’s shoe. Said he wasn’t bothered by it while just standing. He also seemed to indicate that another pair of shoes may be on their way…”

Underdog Golf also reported on X that, per the Golf Channel’s Kira K. Dixon, members of McIlroy’s team were seen walking into the clubhouse with boxes of shoes.

Assuming McIlroy is fit to play, he will tee it up alongside Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth in the first two rounds, beginning at 8.40am EDT on Thursday.