McIlroy aims to get his 'stuff together' at US Open
Rory McIlroy says his recent loss of form has helped him realise he needs to "get my stuff together" at this week's US Open after struggling for motivation following his career-defining Masters win. The Northern Irishman became just the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam with his Masters victory in April, but has since struggled, finishing tied 47th at last month's US PGA Championship before missing the cut by 12 shots at last week's Canadian Open. While the 36-year-old said it was important for him to savour his Augusta triumph, he added he wants to move on as he bids for a second US Open title at Oakmont Country Club. "I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago [at the Masters], then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working," said McIlroy. "I worked incredibly hard on my game from October last year all the way up until April this year."It was nice to sort of see the fruits of my labour come to fruition and have everything happen."
McIlroy, who has reverted to his old driver after struggling off the tee in Canada, added: "You have to enjoy that. You have to enjoy what you've just accomplished. "I certainly feel like I'm still doing that and I will continue to do that. At some point you have to realise that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season. "Weeks like Quail Hollow [at the US PGA] or even weeks like last week, it makes it easier to reset in some way - to be like 'OK, I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process'."McIlroy also explained that he has "always been a player that struggles" to perform immediately after a big win."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," he said.
McIlroy reminded of Oakmont's demands
McIlroy added he "certainly can't relax" this week at Oakmont, where he missed the cut when the challenging Pittsburgh layout last staged the US Open in 2016.He also failed to make the weekend in 2017 and 2018, but has since posted six consecutive top-10 finishes and has been runner-up the past two years. "I made the decision at that back end of 2018 into 2019, I wanted to try to build my game around the toughest tests that we have in the game," he said. "The US Open went from probably my least favourite major to probably my favourite because of what it asks from you, and I love that challenge."While McIlroy said he tried to wipe 2016 from his memory, he was handed a stark reminder of Oakmont's severe demands - five-inch rough and undulating greens - when he shot 81 during an early practice round last week. "Last Monday felt impossible - I birdied the last two holes for 81," said the five-time major winner, adding the course feels "softer" this week."It felt pretty good, it didn't feel like I played that bad! It's much more benign now. "They had the pins in dicey positions and the greens were running at 15 and a half. It was nearly impossible."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
17 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Raducanu keen to explore doubles partnership with Boulter
After booking their place with a straight-sets opening victory over Wu Fang-Hsien and Jiang Xinyu on Monday, they faced a much tougher test in the top-seeded doubles pair. Emma Raducanu is keen to explore her doubles partnership with Katie Boulter (Jordan Pettitt/PA) 'Katie made me feel really comfortable out there over the two matches and I hope we can team up again soon,' said 2021 US Open winner and former British number one Raducanu, who next faces Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova in the last 16 of the singles on Thursday afternoon. 'Given the quick turnaround from clay to grass it's great to get some extra matchplay on grass. The atmosphere again was unreal.' This is the first time in 52 years that women's tennis has been hosted at Queen's. It was just the third doubles match in Raducanu's career and only the second time she paired up with Boulter. The two still looked to be ironing out the finer points of their partnership when they clashed rackets in the first game and were down a break early on before Kichenok and Routliffe claimed the first set with another break. Katie Boulter will start the action at Andy Murray Arena on Thursday (John Walton/PA) The Britons grew into the match more in the second set – amusingly interrupted for a moment so a security guard could rescue a bee that had wandered down the baseline – bouncing back from a 4-1 deficit to level and converting their first break point of the match en route. But they squandered an opportunity to turn the screw when they could not convert four break points in the next game, and – despite plenty of encouragement from the crowd – eventually fell to the favourites. Boulter opens the action at the larger Andy Murray Arena on Thursday morning at midday, when she faces fifth-seed Diana Shnaider. 'Me and Emma played some very good tennis over these two doubles matches and our level was really high,' she said. 'The support from the crowd was immense as well and we're really grateful that so many people came out to support us.' British qualifier Heather Watson's meeting with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina immediately follows on the newly-renamed centre court before wild card Raducanu's clash with Sramkova. Sonay Kartal was beaten by Amanda Anisimova (Adam Davy/PA) Sonay Kartal's Queen's campaign came to an end after the British wild card was defeated 6-1 6-3 by eighth seed Amanda Anisimova. Kartal, who confirmed she plans to participate at next week's Nottingham Open, said: '(Anisimova) didn't do too much wrong in that one. You just take it on the chin. The good thing about the grass is we are a couple of days and we're back at it again.' The British number three had booked her place in the second round on Monday after beating world number 16 Daria Kasatkina for the biggest win of her career. British doubles specialist Olivia Nicholls and her partner, Slovakian Tereza Mihalikova, lost 7-6 (3) 7-6 (5) to third seeds Ellen Perez (Australia) and Shuai Zhang (China).
Daily Mirror
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy's amazing body transformation after injury scare threatened career
Rory McIlroy, who is aiming to get back on track at the US Open at Oakmont, has worked incredibly hard off the course to become one of the most powerful players in the golfing world Rory McIlroy may be grappling with precision at the moment, but he will never be short of power as he gears up for the US Open. The now five-time major champion has seen a dip since his monumental Masters victory in April, where he finally donned the green jacket and completed golf's Grand Slam. McIlroy barely made the cut at the subsequent major, the US PGA Championship, and then didn't make it to the weekend at the recent Canadian Open. The world No.2 has had trouble off the tee since his reliable driver failed a standard legality test on the eve of the US PGA Championship. However, once he gets his bearings with his new driver, it is surely only a matter of time before he is back in contention, possibly even at Oakmont this week. McIlroy continues to be one of the biggest drivers on the PGA Tour. Last year, his average drive was a whopping 320.2 yards, with only Cameron Champ (322.8 yards) outdoing him. The 36-year-old's distance off the tee is no fluke. It's the result of thousands of hours in the gym, which transformed him from a skinny-looking youngster to a muscular physical specimen... Rory McIlroy's gym routine Over the years, McIlroy has packed on pure muscle by hitting the gym for 90 minutes a day, five days a week. He has boosted his swing speed by strengthening his shoulders with exercises like landmine presses, which involve lifting one end of a barbell. He also performs box jumps and flips 120lbs bags as part of his routines. His physical transformation was so remarkable that in 2015, he became the first golfer to grace the cover of Men's Health magazine. Over the years, McIlroy has shared clips of his gym workouts. In a 2017 tribute to Gary Player, a pioneer in golf fitness, he posted on Instagram: "At the end of my gym session I remembered it was Gary Player's 82nd birthday today. What better way to honour the legend and pioneer of fitness for golf than doing a plank. Hopefully everyone can join me today and #PLANK4PLAYER to honour the great man!" Rory McIlroy's injury scare McIlroy was prompted to hit the gym after suffering a back injury in 2010, the year before he won his first major, the US Open at Bethesda. He took a month off and began working with fitness expert Dr Stephen McGregor, who had previously worked with Manchester City and the New York Knicks NBA team. Speaking about the scare, he said: "The doctor said to me, Look, if you don't start taking care of yourself or getting stronger, you can seriously jeopardise how long your career is. That was a wake-up call for me." Five years later, he reflected on his progress, revealing in a promotional workout video for Nike: "I wasn't really big into going to the gym and I couldn't stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds. I couldn't hold a plank for more than 30 seconds. "Everyone has to start somewhere. I started at the very beginning, and I've worked my way up. Getting my body into the best shape for what I do, which is ultimately to go out and play golf." He reportedly slashed his body fat from 24 per cent down to a lean 10 per cent over five years and is said to have packed on 20lbs of muscle between 2005 and 2010. What does Rory McIlroy eat? It's not just about hitting the gym hard for McIlroy, who credits his diet with playing a pivotal role in enhancing his power behind the swing. In pursuit of this goal, he has significantly increased his protein consumption, as he shared with in 2023: "I'd eat a gram of protein per pound of body weight. I still do that, 170 grams per day of protein." However, McIlroy made some sacrifices too, cutting out certain foods, like eggs and pork, while adopting a gluten-free lifestyle. He elaborated on this choice, saying: "It just doesn't agree with my body. Those are more of a personal thing that's unique to my body." Moreover, he curbed his indulgence in two beloved snacks, chocolate and ice cream, which are now rare treats for him. However, he said: "I don't think you want to demonise food. "It's about being able to fit it into your diet so you can have it every once in a while and feel good about it and not feel guilty. There's so much guilt associated with eating. If you can break that mental barrier, you'll be better off."
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rory McIlroy reveals Oakmont difficulties ahead of US Open: ‘It felt impossible'
Rory McIlroy is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to overcome an 'impossible' Oakmont course and prosper at the US Open. McIlroy is looking to shake off a hangover from his Masters triumph in April, where he completed his 11-year quest for a career grand slam of winning all four majors. That will not be easy at the unforgiving Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, characterised by notoriously thick rough, especially as the 36-year-old is battling driver issues. He missed the cut when the US Open was last played here in 2016, but has been putting in the work ahead of Thursday's first round. He played at the course on a scouting mission last Monday, but probably wishes he had not bothered, as he shot an 81, while he has also been watching videos of Dustin Johnson 's win here nine years ago. 'I'm glad we have spotters up there because I played last Monday just in Druck's (member Stanley Druckenmiller) outing, and you hit a ball off the fairway and you were looking for a good couple of minutes just to find it,' he said. 'It's very penal if you miss. Sometimes it's penal if you don't miss. But the person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that's going to win. 'There's definitely been a little bit of rain since I played. 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 fast. It was nearly impossible. '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.' The club's own website labels it 'The Ultimate Examination of Championship Golf', but it is fair to say other descriptions of Oakmont have not been so flattering. Bryson DeChambeau, who pipped McIlroy to the title last year, called it the 'toughest golf course in the world right now'. 'You have to hit the fairways, you have to hit greens, and you have to two-putt, worst-case scenario,' he said. 'When you've got those putts inside 10 feet, you've got to make them. It's a great test of golf. 'I think everyone knows it's the toughest golf course in the world right now.' World number three Xander Schauffele thinks fans will get pleasure from seeing the top stars suffer. 'I don't think people turn the TV on to watch some of the guys just hit like a 200-yard shot on the green, you know what I mean?' Schauffele said. 'I think they turn on the US Open to see a guy shooting eight over and suffer. That's part of the enjoyment of playing in the US Open for viewers.'
