Latest news with #post-GrandSlam
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rory McIlroy hoping for some short-term memory loss after 81 on practice round at US Open venue Oakmont
RORY MCILROY is banking on a short memory and a timely driver swap to help him survive the brutal challenge of Oakmont at this week's US Open. The Advertisement 2 Rory McIlroy admitted that he carded an 81 at the tough Oakmont track last week 2 Rory McIlroy also revealed he's found a new driver for the season's third major And he'll be hoping for a far smoother session than his practice trip last Monday. He revealed that despite a strong finish, that earlier visit saw him shoot 81. The course is widely regarded as one of the toughest in American golf, especially with punishing rough and narrow fairways. McIlroy explained: 'There's definitely been a little bit of rain since that Monday. Last Monday felt impossible. Advertisement read more on golf "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. If you put it in the fairway, it's certainly playable. You get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that's a bonus.' That was prior to a horror missed cut at the last week's Advertisement Most read in Golf But he also pointed to a silver lining after some time at home after the He said: 'I learned that I wasn't using the right driver.' US Open release incredible video of army of lawnmowers to tackle rough as stars brand conditions 'unplayable' He said: 'Every driver sort of has its own character and you're trying to manage the misses. "I feel like, as the last few weeks go, 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.' Advertisement Asked how much it impacted his play at Quail Hollow without his trusted setup, McIlroy pointed to the eventual champion. He added: 'It wasn't a big deal for Scottie, so it shouldn't have been a big deal for me.' He also acknowledged that he's struggled to get back on track after big wins - and reckons he'll need to put that to the back of his mind if he's to compete, after a missed cut on the Oakmont course in 2016. Speaking to the media from the press room, he admitted that he's readjusting to life post-Grand Slam had taken its taken a mental toll. Advertisement The 36-year-old added: 'I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago. "Then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working.'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Rory McIlroy admits he must forget Masters elation as he faces US Open ‘brute'
The world number two arrives at fearsome Oakmont Country Club looking to get back on track after a combination of driver woes and post-Masters elation led to a poor showing in the PGA Championship and a missed cut in last week's Canadian Open. He readily admits he has no clue yet what goals to set for his post-Grand Slam career, but he knows he must be 100 per cent focused and forget about Augusta if he's to have any chance in Pittsburgh. "If I can't allow myself a little bit of a grace period (after winning the Masters), then why do we do these things?" McIlroy wondered aloud. Forgetting the Masters is easier said than done, but he sees that as key to righting the ship and competing for the rest of 2025. "I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago," he said. "Then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working. "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. "But at the same time, 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, here, Portrush, Ryder Cup, so those are obviously the three big things that I'm sort of looking at for the rest of the year." McIlroy's last two starts have helped him come back down to earth, and with Oakmont a relentless beast, he knows he must be at his best mentally to survive. "Look, it's Oakmont… it's still a big brute of a golf course, and you're going to have to have your wits about you this week all the way throughout the bag, off the tee, into the greens, around the greens," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Heavy rain last weekend means the course is not quite the brute it was when he had to birdie the last two holes just to shoot 81 in a practice round last week. "It's very penal if you miss," he said. "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." He added: "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. "This morning, it was a little softer. The pins aren't going to be on three or four per cent 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." After hitting a driver to 10 feet at the 301-yard, par-four 17th, he's clearly close to where he wants to be in the driver department after a weekend spent testing. As to what he learned, he quipped: "I learned that I wasn't using the right driver." Despite all that, it remains to be seen if he can truly put his Masters win aside and compete. Asked about his five-year plan, he said: "I don't have one. I have no idea. I'm sort of just taking it tournament by tournament at this point. Yeah, I have no idea. "Look, 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 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." Yes, he has unfinished US Open business, but he can't let that cloud his thinking. "I obviously want to play well here," he said. "I didn't like what happened last year. I didn't like what happened in LACC. And I feel like I'm playing US Open venues much better at this point in my career than I ever have. "So I don't want to go in there and feel like I want revenge. I just want to go out and play my golf. If I can do that, hit the shots and stay patient, hopefully I'll be in there on Sunday."
