Rory McIlroy 'feels close but also so far away' as he seeks return to form after scrappy US PGA Championship
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Published 22/05/2023 at 15:08 GMT
Rory McIlroy recovered from a terrible opening nine holes at the 2023 PGA Championship to record another top-10 finish in a major but admitted he never felt like he could win at Oak Hill as he continues to battle his swing. Brooks Koepka held off Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to lift the Wanamaker Trophy for the third time and join an exclusive club of five-time major champions.
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Rory McIlroy admitted he “feels close but also so far away” to the sort of form he needs to end his drought in majors after a scrappy week at the US PGA Championship in which he didn’t play his best stuff but still rallied to finish in a tie for seventh.
The Northern Irishman, who last landed one of golf’s marquee titles back at this event in 2014, came into the second men’s major of the year after a missed cut at The Masters which forced him to take a break from the game, with all eyes on him to see how he would fare in his bid to bounce back.
He cut a forlorn figure during a ragged front nine on Thursday before kick-starting his recovery with a 35-foot par save that sparked him into life as he salvaged a first-round 71. He was amazed to find himself only five back heading into the final round and capped off a battling performance with a third successive 69 at Oak Hill to finish two-under, seven behind eventual winner Brooks Koepka.
"I'll look back on this week as proud of how I hung in there, and I guess my attitude and sticking to it, not having my best stuff," McIlroy said.
"I just came in here trying to play a golf tournament, not thinking about getting myself in contention and not thinking about winning.
"I honestly didn't feel like I had a chance of winning this week, so it was just about going out there and playing the best I could and trying to make the most of it.
"I feel sort of close but also so far away at the same time. It's hard to explain. I feel like sometimes it was the worst I could have played, but then at the same time, it's like the best I could have done.
“It’s weird. It just doesn’t feel quite where it needs to be and I just need to go back home and work on some stuff. I guess just try to figure it out.”
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Rory McIlroy during the first round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 18, 2023 in Rochester, New York
Image credit: Getty Images
It was put to McIlroy whether lowered expectations had helped him, and he was resolute in his response.
“Yeah, 100 per cent," McIlroy said.
“I was more accepting of things out there and I think it’s hard. The previous major championship at Augusta, all I think about is winning, winning, winning, to try to win that green jacket.
“I then don’t really think about just playing a tournament and the cadence that goes along with getting into rounds and whatever.
“I go to the second tee on Friday afternoon and I see I’m already 10 back of Brooks or whatever. So then I’m thinking, ‘oh, geez, I have no chance of winning’, and things sort of crumble.
“It’s just like being a bit mentally fragile because you’re so focused on the one thing you’re trying to do when, in essence, you just need to play a golf tournament and see where the chips fall at the end of the week.”
In the build-up to the tournament, McIlroy said Tiger Woods had reached out to him after spotting something in his swing that was potentially causing him issues. Once the game’s standout driver of the ball, McIlroy has developed the dreaded two-way miss off the tee and despite listening to the advice of Woods, added that plenty more work is required before he can win again on the biggest stage.
"It just doesn't feel quite where it needs to be, and again, just need to go back home and work on some stuff," he added. "I guess just try to figure it out. A week like this, there's some good parts and there's some bad parts.
"I'm just sort of trying to pick all those pieces out and obviously see what you can do better and sort of just move on from there. I feel like I need my best stuff to win, but you know, I don't need my best stuff to compete and hang in there. But, yeah, I need to be better."
Perhaps he will be buoyed by his final-round pairing with Michael Block, the PGA club pro who was a sensation at Oak Hill. The 46-year-old capped off his remarkable story with a slam dunk hole-in-one on Sunday alongside McIlroy en route to a T15 finish that earned him an exemption into next year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.
"The atmosphere out there, playing with Michael, was unbelievable,” McIlroy continued. "We both got amazing support, but you know, he got unbelievable support, understandably so, being in this position as a club pro and playing so well and competing into the latter stages of a major championship. It was really impressive.
"It [the hole-in-one] was an amazing golf shot. That hole has sort of given me fits all week. I haven't really liked the look of it, and Michael stands up and hits this lovely little draw back off the left wind, and you know, ball goes straight in the hole. It was I guess sort of when it's your week, it's your week in a way, and you know, I think with the way the week's went for him, it was a fitting way to cap off his PGA Championship."
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