Rory McIlroy is confident he “corrected” his PGA Championship selfishness in his post-round practice session, just as he did during his Masters title defense.
McIlroy saw his hopes of winning a record-extending fifth Truist Championship title disappear in Saturday’s third round with a 75, his highest score on the PGA Tour since last June, when the Northern Irishman kept hitting shots to the left.
The world No. 2 hit “100 pitches” on the practice range Saturday night to regain control of his swing, four weeks after he had a post-round session at Augusta National’s practice range to address a “left-handed error.”
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Highlights from Rory McIlroy’s final round of the Masters as he successfully defended his title.
McIlroy’s practice at the Masters helped him recover from a six-shot lead he lost en route to winning the green jacket, while his work at Quarry Hollow allowed him to rally to shoot a final-round 67 ahead of his second major of the year.
“Yesterday (Saturday), I started hitting everything to the left,” McIlroy admitted after the final round. “I spent a lot of time on the practice field last night just trying to get in shape.
Rory McIlroy aims to win back-to-back majors at PGA Championship
“At the practice range this week, the wind was primarily from the left. I think if you hit a lot of balls in a left-to-right wind, you start aiming a little to the left. Sometimes the clubface closes a little bit at impact just to try to counteract that wind.”
“For the last five or six days I’ve been hitting the ball in left-to-right winds on the practice range and I just started to miss the ball to the left on the course. I was trying to figure it out a little bit last night on the practice range and I feel like I’ve done that and I’m hitting the ball a lot better.”
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Sky Sports Golf Podcast discusses whether Rory McIlroy is the greatest European golfer of all time following his recent win at the Masters
Asked how his swing issues compared to the Masters, McIlroy added: “It’s the exact same thing so I’ve got to work on that. It’s like a bad habit of mine right now and I just have to be careful about it.”
“We figured out a few things. With the left-to-right wind on the practice field all week, it seemed like we picked up some bad habits, so we fixed that.
“I’m going to go home tonight, which is good. I’m going to spend the night in my own bed and practice tomorrow (Monday) at home. Just continue that feeling and try to bring it back to Philadelphia the rest of the week.”
Can Rory McIlroy add another big win at Aronimink Golf Club?
McIlroy developed a blister under his pinky nail on his right foot, which left him feeling uncomfortable at Quail Hollow Club over the weekend, but he confirmed he will be in full health for this week’s major tournament.
Will McIlroy have even more success?
McIlroy will be one of the pre-tournament favorites to win his second major title this season and seventh of his career, 12 years after winning his second PGA Championship.
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Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley reflects on Rory McIlroy’s fourth major win at the 2014 PGA Championship
The 37-year-old played a few practice rounds at Augusta National in the weeks leading up to last month’s major win and missed three PGA Tour events after The Players, a move that has many on social media discussing whether it gave him an unfair advantage.
The idea was quickly widely dismissed by players and pundits, given that Masters Field allows for all build-up practice rounds and that McIlroy also made an early preparation trip to Aronimink ahead of the PGA Championship.
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Highlights from Rory McIlroy’s final round of the Masters, with 1-under-par 71 as Northern Irishman wins green jacket for second consecutive year
Asked if he had visited the PGA Championship venue just once, McIlroy joked, “No, I lived there for a week. I just played every day. I think that’s forgivable.”
McIlroy admitted he only made one day trip to the venue before the major tournament and did not record a score, and the six-time major champion only plans to play nine holes on Tuesday and nine holes on Wednesday ahead of the tournament.
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Watch Rory McIlroy’s bid for back-to-back major titles live, only on Sky Sports, when the PGA Championship begins on Thursday.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “I think (Aronimink) fits my game really well. Especially on the front nine, it looks like there’s going to be a lot of drivers, a lot of wedges.”
“The back nine starts to get a little difficult, but if you can improve your score on the front nine, it seems like this is a course where many players can get around 3 or 4 under. However, the large, sloping greens can put you close to the pin, so you have to be resourceful.”
“I’m excited to go up there and give it another shot at a major championship.”
Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch live all week on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening match will begin on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
