Rory McIlroy’s latest chance to end his decade-long chase for a fifth major title will kick off under the brightest spotlights after he was paired with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele for the first two rounds of the US Open.
The Northern Irishman is part of a large group with the three best players in the world at Pinehurst No 2 in the sand hills of North Carolina. World No. 1 Scheffler won his second Masters title in three years at Augusta in April and claimed his fifth win of the season at the Memorial on Sunday, while second-ranked Schauffele claimed a first career major at the American PGA.
“It’s cool to be part of these combinations,” McIlroy said. “I think Scottie, Xander and I are all experienced enough at this point not to get caught up in it. Just to keep our business going, try to get some good scores to put ourselves in a good position for the weekend.”
Starting Thursday, McIlroy will embark on what is being billed as golf’s toughest test, riding the wind of confidence after his second win of the year at last month’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, followed by three consecutive top-20 finishes, including a fourth place at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago.
McIlroy has endured several years of US Open struggle despite a robust overall record of eight top-10 finishes in 15 appearances, including a 2011 win at the Congressional, while posting the lowest 72-hole score at 16 under 16 in the history of the tournament. par 268. But he attributed a step-by-step reversal of form to a come-to-Jesus moment in his approach to the USGA’s famously fearless format.
The 35-year-old has had a top-10 finish in his last five US Open appearances, each time finishing better than the last, including last year when he came within one shot of surprise winner Wyndham Clark at the Los Angeles Country Club.
“I would say embracing the tough conditions, embracing the style of golf it takes to compete at a US Open, embracing patience,” said McIlroy, whose last major victory came at the 2014 US PGA , when it was held in August. “Honestly, embracing what I would have called ‘boring’ in the past.
“Explosivity is not going to win a US Open. It’s a more methodical way to build your score over the course of four days and be okay with that. To be honest, it’s more of a reframing of a mindset than anything.”
Tiger Woods is playing in only his fourth event of the year in a group alongside England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and American Will Zalatoris. The 15-time champion made history by making the cut at Augusta for the 24th consecutive time before wilting in rounds of 82 and 77 to finish last. The 48-year-old also missed the cut in the American PGA by eight shots, but said Tuesday he is prepared for the mental and physical rigors of the task ahead.
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“I feel like I have the strength to be able to do it,” Woods said. “It’s just a matter of doing it. This golf course is going to test every aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline it takes to play this particular golf course is going to take a lot.”
Woods said he was playing Pinehurst No 2 for the first time in 19 years on the first full day of US Open training on Monday, much of which was new to him since the radical restoration of the Donald Ross gem by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw over a decade ago. .
“It’s all different. I played it on bentgrass. So now that we have Bermuda, it’s very different. It’s grainy. I’ve been using long irons and woods around the greens and I’ve seen some guys do the same thing.”
He added: “[The greens] are very serious and we play under faster conditions. It’s more of a test. It will be a great test and a great battle of attrition this week. It will be a lot of fun for all of us.”