Rory McIlroy debuted new, baggy golf pants at the DP World India Championship — and it’s all thanks to fellow golfer Tommy Fleetwood.
“I’ve watched and I have admired Tommy Fleetwood over the past year,” McIlroy, 37, said at the tournament on Wednesday, October 14. “In my everyday life, when I don’t have to wear what is my golf uniform, I wear a lot of wide-legged or straight-legged pants. It is the ‘in’ thing, the fashionable thing.”
The six-time major champion, however, admitted that he wasn’t completely sold on his new trousers.
“They hit a little low, they’re maybe a little short,” he said. “What’s hard is, when you have a synthetic, technical fabric like this, they’re a little bit harder to tailor.”
McIlroy is going to have to deal with it, though, saying that the new style of pants are “all I have with me this week, unfortunately.”
Legendary golfer Nick Faldo told McIlroy he was “concerned” about the pants because “there’s going to be a different air flow while you’re thinking about your golf swing.”
“That’s OK, we need air flow this week,” McIlroy said with a laugh. “It’s hot and humid.”
McIlroy added, “I understand they’re maybe not as well-fitting as they need to be, but it’s a work in progress.”
The 2026 DP World India Championship takes place at Delhi Golf Club in Delhi, India, through the weekend. Temperatures reached the mid-80s for the opening round on Thursday.
McIlroy and his new pants shot a 2-under 70, good for a tie for 13th place.
Earlier this year, McIlroy explained that he’d be competing in fewer tournaments in an effort to focus on a better work-life balance. He told reporters he will “pick and choose my spots” in June.
“Does it mean it makes it harder for myself to win the FedExCup or whatever the season-long title race is going to be called? Absolutely,” he said. “But I’m OK with that because it brings balance to my life and lets me enjoy things outside of the game.”
McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, share daughter Poppy, 6.
At the 2025 U.S. Open, McIlroy told reporters he often feels like he has “two different lives.”
“I’m a dad and a husband when I’m away from here, and then I’m who I am when I’m here,” he said.
In May 2024, McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll before calling it off the following month.
“There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate,” McIlroy said in a statement at the time. “Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game. Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
