Rory McIlroy has been lauded by former PGA Tour player Brendon de Jonge for one decision that he made ahead of the new PGA Tour season.

Like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy has made an encouraging start to the year without looking to be at his very best. He finished tied for 14th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, before giving Jacob Bridgeman a good scare on the 72nd hole at the Genesis Invitational.

McIlroy switched back to bladed irons after making the surprise move to cavity backs ahead of 2026. The Northern Irishman did not have the best week at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour back in January.

And de Jonge believes that McIlroy returning to blades was pivotal in his bright start on American soil.

Rory McIlroy’s start to the PGA Tour season assessed

Speaking on 5 Clubs, de Jonge was asked what has been crucial to McIlroy’s impressive start. He suggested that the five-time major champion has not been far away from having a victory under his belt already.

“That he went back to the blades and it was a fantastic decision. You remove just a couple of holes from Pebble and Rory’s probably lifting that trophy there,” he

“A couple of wayward shots, I think he made a big number on number four. He missed a couple of short putts on both the par threes on Spy, made two doublesthere, and then a couple of other big numbers at Pebble. Made seven on four, made six on 10 I believe. Just a mess, made seven on 18. You remove those and I think there’s a whole lot of positives from McIlroy.

“Ball-striking was brilliant at Riviera. And I’ve always said this, when Rory’s comfortable varying the trajectories with the driver, that’s when Rory’s playing his best. We saw it at the 2024 US Open, I know he didn’t ultimately end up winning there, but he put on a display with the driver, and it was more of the same when he really needed to find a fairway, flight it way down. I think it’s very, very positive.”

Where Rory McIlroy currently ranks for strokes gained approach on the PGA Tour

The season has only just begun, so it is perhaps too early to draw any significant conclusions on where McIlroy’s game is.

It will be much easier to assess once he has tackled Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. But the current signs are looking good.

McIlroy has never ended a PGA Tour season at number one for strokes gained approach. His best result came back in 2012 when he finished second in that particular category.

But he is currently top of the pile for 2026. That is a surprise when you consider the main strength in his game has traditionally been his power off the tee.

It certainly bodes well for the remainder of the season, particularly with the major championships now just around the corner.