The PGA of America has stated it has no "concerns about player intent" following Rory McIlroy's driver failing a compliance test ahead of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. McIlroy's driver head did not pass a routine United States Golf Association (USGA) random test prior to the tournament. It is standard practice for driver heads to be tested on the PGA Tour and at major tournaments to ensure they meet regulations.

Over time, a driver's face can thin, potentially leading to higher ball speeds. However, USGA rules stipulate that drivers must meet minimum standards. When news broke that McIlroy's driver was non-compliant, unfounded accusations of misconduct emerged from some quarters of social media, but these were swiftly dismissed by experts, including Golf Channel's Johnson Wagner. Since his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, McIlroy has not spoken to the media, and both the PGA of America and the USGA initially declined to comment on Friday when reports surfaced about McIlroy's driver falling short of minimum standards.

However, on Saturday, Kerry Haigh, the PGA's chief championships officer, confirmed in a statement: "We can confirm that the USGA was invited to do club testing at the PGA Championship, at the PGA of America's request.

"That testing programme is consistent with the same level of support that the USGA provides to the PGA Tour and other championships, as part of their regular programmes for driver testing. The standard process is for about a third of the field to be randomly tested under the programme.

"That was the case at Quail Hollow this week. Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time."

Haigh maintained that the organisation will not disclose the names of McIlroy or any other player whose driver failed the test prior to the event.

He clarified: "The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting the club thousands of times. Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue.

""To publicly identify players whose club did not conform can lead to that player being questioned unnecessarily. Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America have any concerns about player intent."

The enforced driver switch seems to have adversely affected McIlroy's performance this week. The Northern Irishman was one of the favourites entering the tournament following his victory at The Masters last month.

However, he had to fight hard just to secure a weekend tee time, making the cut on the number after two days filled with mistakes at Quail Hollow.

His driving accuracy is usually a significant advantage, but he currently ranks 73rd in the field after 36 holes in North Carolina. The 36-year-old golfer started his third round at one-over-par, trailing nine shots behind the leader.

This story first appeared on the