Rory McIlroy insists he is “closer than ever” to ending his fifth major championship drought in a decade at this week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
McIlroy has won three times this year, first by defending his title at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, then by winning back-to-back titles at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Wells Fargo Championship, though he has not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship.
Since winning by one shot at Valhalla, world number three McIlroy has recorded 20 top-10 finishes in majors, more than any other player in that time, and McIlroy remains confident of ending that streak and adding to his major championship tally.
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Wayne “Radar” Riley reflects on Rory McIlroy's 2014 PGA Championship victory at Valhalla, his last major win.
“I've always said I still feel like I'm within reach of being the most successful European in the sport,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament news conference. [Ballesteros] And surpassed Sir Nick Faldo for most Grand Slam victories.
“I’m very proud of my efforts and achievements over the past 15 years, whether it’s season titles, individual tournaments or Grand Slams.
“Obviously it's taken me quite a while to get that fifth Grand Slam title but I'm more confident than ever that I'm getting there, I'm very close.”
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The men's majors continue this month with the US Open, which will be shown live on Sky Sports. Who can stop Scottie Scheffler from winning at Pinehurst?
McIlroy has had considerable success on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, winning the FedEx Cup three times and placing five times in the Race to Dubai, though the 35-year-old is reluctant to set a target for the number of major wins he would like to achieve.
“I won’t say how many wins I have. [as a target]”I think the only thing you can do to try to pick a number is to set yourself up for failure or disappointment.
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“tiger [Woods] Want to surpass Jack [Nicklaus]It looks like he might not reach that goal, but can we say Tiger Woods' career was a failure? Absolutely not. It was arguably the best. He played the best golf people had ever seen.
“I always think about what would happen if it went well. I don't want that. If someone had told me at 20 that I'd be sitting here at 35 and that this was my career, I wouldn't have believed them, I would have been ecstatic.
Rory McIlroy tied for 15th at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday
“I've got a good time left here, hopefully the next 10 years. I still like to think I've got a lot going for me. Whatever those numbers are, whatever the total adds up to, I'll take it and feel like for a little boy from Northern Ireland who dreamed of one day playing golf for a living, I've done pretty well.”
How being patient helps McIlroy
McIlroy had a major breakthrough win in 2011, and despite squandering a four-shot lead in the final round of the Masters earlier that year, he has only one top-10 finish in his seven subsequent U.S. Opens.
The 35-year-old has not finished lower than ninth in his last five appearances at the U.S. Open, including a runner-up finish to Wyndham Clark last year, and McIlroy approaches the tournament with a different mentality now.
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A look back at Rory McIlroy's frustrating final round at last year's U.S. Open, when he finished one shot behind Wyndham Clark
“I’ve been doing pretty well in the U.S. Open the last few years,” McIlroy explained. “Obviously at the LAGC I almost lost. [Los Angeles Country Club] Last year, it was obviously Wyndham [Clark] Just posting there first.
“I felt like I was struggling a lot at the US Open, especially in 2016, 2017, 2018. After that, it was kind of a light bulb moment for me, trying to really figure out why that was happening, and then starting in 2019, my performances have been really, really good.”
Rory McIlroy plays with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele in first two rounds of U.S. Open
On what led to the turnaround, McIlroy added: “I would say accepting the difficult conditions, accepting the style of golf that is required to compete for a title at the U.S. Open, accepting patience. And honestly, accepting what I used to call ‘boring.’
“You don't win a U.S. Open by being explosive. Winning a U.S. Open is about methodically accumulating points over four days and being okay with that. It's more of a mindset reset than anything else, to be honest.”
Who will win the third men's major of the year? Watch the US Open live on Sky Sports. The Sky Sports Golf channel starts live on Thursday at 12:30pm. Watch the U.S. Open and more with NOW.
