Amid a decade-long wait for another major championship victory, Rory McIlroy has explained how his mentality has adapted in recent times and how his game has changed in the past ten years
Rory McIlroy has opened up on how his game has changed in recent times and how his mentality has adapted (
Image: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy has admitted that he has not been as much of a “risk taker” on the golf course in recent years – amid his decade-long wait for another major championship triumph.
The Northern Irish superstar’s last success in that regard came in the form of the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, which was his fourth major win. He also tasted glory at the 2011 US Open, 2012 PGA Championship, and 2014 Open Championship, with these victories all coming before the age of 25.
Only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods had won four majors by that age, putting McIlroy in esteemed company among the pantheon of greats. However, the former world No. 1’s major drought since then is well-documented – with the star having come agonizingly close to ending his hoodoo earlier this year at U.S. Open.
He boasted a two stroke lead with four holes left at Pinehurst Resort but eventually slipped up as he bogeyed three of the last four holes. Allowing Bryson DeChambeau an opportunity to steal a march in the contest, the American seized his opportunity to secure his second career victory at the championship.
Now, McIlroy has now opened up on how his game has changed down the years as he gave some insight into why he has been unable to deliver another major success in the last ten years. He told Normal Sport: “I’m not as much as a risk taker in my profession, like in golf, as I used to be.
“I think in some way, that’s helped me because I’ve become a lot more consistent player. But maybe in other ways, it’s held me back over the last couple of years. Like the way my final days have gone, I’ll go out and shoot 70 or 69 and play a pretty solid round of golf, but it’s not enough to win.”
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Rory McIlroy’s wait for a fifth major championship victory has now stretched to a decade ( David Cannon/Getty Images)
In recent times, McIlroy has been outspoken amid the development of the breakaway LIV Golf tour and its impact on the eco-system within the sport. Reflecting on this period, he admitted that he is keeping more coy on the subject these days, saying: “Sometimes you feel that responsibility to try to give a good answer.
“And sometimes you can come up with that one, but there’s other times where you can’t. I felt like there was a point over the last couple of years where people were looking forward more to my press conferences than they were to my golf. I was like, that’s not where I want to be.”
The Northern Irishman continued: “Because when you’re asked so many questions, especially so many questions around the same subject that has been going on in golf for the last three years, I feel pressure to give a thoughtful answer, but in a different way all the time.
“You keep saying the same thing over and over and over. It starts to sound like a broken record. So I sometimes feel pressure to find an answer that is still thoughtful but is a little different.”
