Rory McIlroy's 2025 couldn't have started any better as, following his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship, the five-time Major winner then completed the Career Grand Slam at The Masters.
However, since that historic moment, McIlroy's form has dropped, understandably, with the 36-year-old only registering one top 10 in four starts, including a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open.
Revealing at the US Open that he perhaps has lost some motivation following his win at Augusta National, the Northern Irishman seemed slightly fatigued during his press conference, an aspect that has given former Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley, worry.
"It's very worrying looking at his press conference there. His eyes weren't alive, the energy wasn't there," stated McGinley, who was speaking on Golf Central's Live From The US Open show.
"He didn't have the pointy elbows like he did coming into The Masters. Then, he was a man on a mission, a man on the bounce, a man wanting to prove something. Get out of my way, here I come, I've got something to accomplish. You could see and feel the energy. You can't see that at the moment.
"I know myself, when I won tournaments, you check out. You don't feel the same. You want to be there and you practice in terms of the energy, but something inside of you is just missing."
After firing rounds of 71 and 78 to finish nine-over-par at the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy clearly still cares about his game as he went through driver testing over the weekend to sort the troubles off the tee that have been plaguing his game of late.
However, according to McGinley, the five-time Major winner is in need of a reset after becoming the sixth player in history to complete the Career Grand Slam at Augusta National in April.
"Sometimes it takes time to reset and I feel he's going through a period of that... It's a huge, huge achievement (completing the Career Grand Slam).
"I'm no psychologist, but it looks like something has gone out of him since that. The air has been sucked out of him. Not just in terms of the way he has played, but in the press conferences. It's very un-Rory-like to have such low energy.
"There has to be a reset at some stage. It doesn't look like it's going to come this week, even though his team are saying he's playing okay. This is not normal Rory, this is not when he's at his best, in my opinion."
Going into Oakmont Country Club, McIlroy had been among the favorites to lift a second US Open trophy, but will have to overcome the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, who have shown exceptional form over the past few months.
Last year, McIlroy endured a gut-wrenching finish to fall short of the championship at Pinehurst, bogeying three of his last four holes to miss out to DeChambeau by a single stroke.
After his loss, McIlroy went on to win a sixth Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour and fire in a number of fine results at the start of this season.
"I think he's at his best when he's p***** off and he's out to prove something, or is chasing something, or is following off a big loss or something that went wrong..." explained McGinley
"He's been on the march since the 2024 US Open and he had one thing on his mind and that was winning at Augusta National.
"Now he's achieved it, the air has gone out of his tires. I hope I'm proved wrong and he is contending this week. I hope he comes back and gets a bit of form, particularly going into Portrush (The Open) in a few weeks time.
"It just doesn't look like it and I'm worried. I would be worried for his performance this week. Not just by how he's played last month, but the low energy he is showing in his press conference."
