Rory McIlroy’s Major year so far has been interesting, to say the least. His appearance in The Masters saw him complete the career Grand Slam in the most dramatic way imaginable, beating Justin Rose in a playoff at the end of a nerve-shredding final round.
However, any hopes he had of following that up with the PGA Championship title were soon discarded with a far more low-key performance. That was also overshadowed by controversy when news leaked that his driver had been deemed non-conforming before the tournament began.
So, what can we expect from the 36-year-old’s appearance at the US Open? Well, if recent editions are anything to go by, it won't be dull. After all, McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in each of his last six starts at the Major, with last year's runner-up the most dramatic of all, when a late collapse in the final round opened the door for LIV Golfer Bryson DeChambeau to take the title.
Before we strap ourselves in for the latest chapter in McIlroy’s Major story at Oakmont, he spoke to the media, where he touched on several topics ahead of getting down to the business of trying to win the tournament for the first time since 2011. Here’s what he had to say.
Why He's Changing His Driver
McIlroy used the TaylorMade Qi10 for his historic Masters win before it was deemed non-conforming at the PGA Championship. He then opted for the TaylorMade Qi35 at the RBC Canadian Open, but that didn’t have the desired effect as he missed the cut. Now, he appears to have reverted to his TaylorMade Qi10.
He explained his decision, saying: “Every driver sort of has its own character and you're trying to manage the misses.” He added: “I feel like, as the last few weeks go, I think I learnt a lot on Thursday and Friday last week and did a good bit of practice at home and feel like I'm in a better place with everything going into this week.”
He wasn’t making excuses for the last-minute switch enforced on him at the Quail Hollow Major either, saying: “It wasn't a big deal for Scottie, so it shouldn't have been a big deal for me.”
‘You Dream About The Final Putt Going In At The Masters, But You Don’t Think About What Comes Next’
Since The Masters, McIlroy’s form has slumped, a T7 at the Truist Championship aside, and he admitted it’s a challenge to get back on track after such a career-defining high.
He explained: “You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don't think about what comes next. I think I've always been a player that struggles to play after a big event, after I win whatever tournament. I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you've just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it and you want to sort of relish the fact that you've achieved a goal.
“I think chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit. But here at Oakmont, I certainly can't relax this week.”
'Last Monday Felt Impossible'
As ever, the course for the US Open is likely to be brutal, with several big names having their say on the challenges ahead of the tournament, and McIlroy, who visited Oakmont at the start of June, offered his opinions, too. He said: “There's definitely been a little bit of rain since that Monday. Last Monday felt impossible. I birdied the last two holes for 81. It felt pretty good. It didn't feel like I played that bad. It's much more benign right now than it was that Monday.
"They had the pins in dicey locations, and greens were running at 15 1/2. It was nearly impossible. But yeah, this morning it felt - it was a little softer. The pins aren't going to be on 3 or 4 percent slopes all the time. If you put it in the fairway, it's certainly playable. But then you just have to think about leaving your ball below the hole and just trying to make as many pars as you can. You get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that's a bonus.”
'I've Definitely Become A Much More Confident US Open Player'
Before his run of six successive top-10 finishes at the US Open, McIlroy missed the cut three years in a row, and he revealed that had inspired him to make sure he was ready for whatever the game could throw at him.
“That's when I made the decision at that back end of 2018 into 2019, I want to try to build my game around the toughest tests that we have in the game,” he explained. “Then as you've seen since 2019, six top 10s in a row at this tournament, obviously finished second the last two years in a row, and I've definitely become a much more confident US Open player and I'm way more comfortable on those firm, fast setups like you saw at Pinehurst last year and LACC the year before that.
"Obviously the US Open went from probably my least favorite Major to probably my favorite because of what it asks from you, and I love that challenge.”
'I'm Trying To Have More Fun'
Before The Masters, McIlroy offered a glimpse of what he does to relax, saying he was watching Bridgerton and reading John Grisham's The Reckoning. Now, he has added trips away and tennis to his list of downtime pursuits.
He explained. “I'm trying to have more fun. We're trying to take more trips. We're trying to do things that I enjoy and get back to having hobbies and filling my time with the things that I want to do.
“I've started to play a lot of tennis again. Like Harry and Niall play tennis pretty much every week when we're on the road, and I've always been like, I don't want to injure myself, whatever, but I miss not playing. So Harry and I played quite a bit of tennis last weekend, so that was good fun.”
