Rory McIlroy troubled by foot problem in US PGA Championship practice

Rory McIlroy was struggling with a foot problem during his first practice round ahead of the US PGA Championship.

The Northern Irishman, who is bidding to win back-to-back majors at Aronimink Golf Club in south west Philadelphia, revealed during last week’s Truist Championship that he had a blister on the small toe of his right foot.

The 37-year-old ended his practice round after a few holes, having been seen limping and at one point taken his shoe off to assess the problem, but had previously done extensive range and short-game practice.

McIlroy is due to begin his bid for a seventh major title alongside Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth at 8.40am local time on Thursday (1.40pm BST).

Earlier, McIlroy had underlined his motivation after landing successive Masters titles, saying: “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.”