Rory McIlroy showed off a new hairstyle after returning to the golf course following a brief hiatus.
McIlroy, 36, hit the course at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, for the Genesis Scottish Open pro-am on Wednesday, July 9, sporting a newly-shaved head since he last competed in June.
It’s been a couple of weeks since golf fans have seen McIlroy, who last played at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, on June 22. After the tournament, McIlroy announced he’d be taking a brief hiatus to reset “mentally.”
“Yeah, I think the one thing I would say about the last couple of weeks is I felt like I could detach a little bit more and sort of hide in a way,” McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday. “And sometimes you need that to completely get away from. I feel like this world of golf can become all encompassing if you let it.”
He continued, “But I think if you remove yourself a little bit from that environment — [fellow PGA golfer] Justin Rose and I came up here together yesterday and we were just chatting about the — I don’t know, there’s a detachment from the sort of week-in, week-out grind when you get back over here, when you play PGA Tour golf for that sort of first 25, 30 weeks of the year.”
During his break, McIlroy spent time in England where he and his wife, Erica Stoll, are currently building a new house. The couple share a 4-year-old daughter, Poppy, who was on hand with her mom at The Masters in April, when McIlroy became just the sixth golfer in history to win the career grand slam.
NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND – JULY 09: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland shakes hands with his group following their round during the pro-am prior to the Genesis Scottish Open 2025 at The Renaissance Club on July 09, 2025 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Since then, however, it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride for the Irish golfer.
McIlroy hasn’t finished in the top five in any of the six tournaments he’s played since his Masters victory.
After finishing in a tie for 19th place at the U.S. Open in June, McIlroy admitted his life had become tricky to navigate.
Rory McIlroy’s contentious relationship with the media has permeated another one of golf’s biggest tournaments. McIlroy, 36, spoke to reporters after his opening round at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Thursday, June 19, where he addressed the way he has been written about in recent months. “I’m not a journalist. I don’t know,” […]
“I feel like I live two different lives,” he told reporters after his final round. “I’m a dad and a husband when I’m away from here, and then I’m who I am when I’m here. It’s always nice to get away and feel a bit of normality.’’
McIlroy has also garnered criticism for the way he’s dealt with the media in recent months, often refusing to talk to them at tournaments.
NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND – JULY 09: Rory McIlroy shakes hands with his group following their round during the pro-am prior to the Genesis Scottish Open 2025 at The Renaissance Club on July 09, 2025 in North Berwick, Scotland. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
“I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to do,” McIlroy told reporters at the U.S. Open.
McIlroy officially returns to action when the Genesis Scottish Open begins on Thursday, July 10.
