The record of potential winners of this week’s British Open at Royal Troon is an extended one as Rory McIlroy begins his newest bid to finish a decade-long main title drought.
McIlroy’s distress continued in final month’s US Open the place he agonisingly completed second – one shot behind American Bryson DeChambeau – after bogeying three of his final 4 holes.
The ache of that loss took McIlroy just a few days to course of however, as he prepares for Thursday’s opening spherical, he’s feeling no added strain in his quest to say a fifth profession main.
“I do know that I’m in a great spot,” the Northern Irish world quantity two informed reporters on Tuesday after enjoying his first apply spherical of the week.
“If I take into consideration 2015 by 2020, that five-year stretch, I seldom had a sensible probability to win a serious championship in that five-year interval. So I’d a lot fairly have these shut calls. It implies that I’m getting nearer.”
McIlroy, who has not gained a serious for the reason that 2014 PGA Championship, spoke about how he handled the US Open.
“I went from being very dissatisfied and dejected to attempting to give attention to the positives to then eager to be taught from the negatives after which attending to the purpose the place you turn out to be enthusiastic and motivated to go once more,” mentioned the 35-year-old.
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“It’s humorous how your mindset can go from ‘I don’t wish to see a golf course for a month’ to 4 days later being ‘I can’t wait to get one other shot at it.’ When that disappointment turns to motivation, that’s when it’s time to go once more.”
McIlroy is in good kind having tied for fourth finally week’s Scottish Open.
“I really feel like my preparations have been going properly,” he mentioned. “Simply getting myself acquainted once more with hyperlinks circumstances, hyperlinks turf, inexperienced speeds. We play a majority of our golf within the States and inexperienced surfaces which might be fairly totally different to right here.”
FICKLE NATURE
The Open is the oldest of the 4 majors and sometimes essentially the most unpredictable, given the vagaries of the climate and the fickle nature of hyperlinks golf.
This 12 months’s championship, the 152nd version, guarantees to be extensive open with a number of gamers looming as real contenders.
American world primary and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, searching for his third main title, at all times appears to be in rivalry.
“I’m excited,” mentioned Scheffler, who has gained six occasions on the PGA Tour this 12 months in 15 begins. “Excited to be again over right here this 12 months, and excited for the week. I feel the golf course is nice. We should always get some good wind this week … which will increase the problem of this golf course. It must be enjoyable.”
Ninth-ranked DeChambeau has performed higher than anybody on this 12 months’s majors, having tied for sixth on the Masters and completed second on the PGA Championship earlier than profitable his second U.S. Open crown final month.
“I’m very assured, clearly,” mentioned DeChambeau. “All of it relies upon if I’m placing it properly. I can are available right here with essentially the most confidence, clearly, off of a serious championship win. Performed respectable final week, as properly.
“I understand how to get the job carried out. It’s only a matter of if I’m as constant as I used to be on the U.S. Open final month and some different venues as properly. If I can play the golf that I’ve been, I feel I’ll give myself an awesome probability.”
Different doubtless contenders embody PGA Championship winner and world quantity three Xander Schauffele, fourth-ranked Swede Ludvig Aberg, 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa and twice main winner Jon Rahm. American left-hander Brian Harman, the defending champion and world quantity 13, is just not among the many favourites, similar to final 12 months at Hoylake the place he gained by six photographs.
Royal Troon, located subsequent to the Irish Sea, will present a tricky check. The Ayrshire format has one of the vital tough closing stretches in championship golf, and eight of the final 9 holes play into the prevailing wind.
This 12 months’s event options the longest gap in Open historical past. The sixth was 601 yards when the occasion was final performed on the Ayrshire hyperlinks in 2016 however this 12 months it can measure 623 yards.
General, the course will play 195 yards longer than in 2016 when Sweden’s Henrik Stenson held off American Phil Mickelson in one of many biggest final-round duels in Open historical past.