McIlroy insists best form is ‘close’

Rory McIlroy refused to be too downcast about the state of his game despite failing to contend at the US Open.

The world No.2, a winner of the championship two years ago at Congressional, has been at odds with his game for the majority of the year and that pattern continued at Merion where he finished a distant 14-over-par.

Even so, the 24-year-old insisted afterwards that he feels like his game is gradually coming round.

“There are signs during every round that it’s there and then it sort of hits a bit of a struggle for a few holes and then it comes back,” said McIlroy, who had rounds of 73, 70, 75 and 76 at the Pennsylvanian course.

“It’s just a bit of a struggle and it seems like if I’ve had a few too many tournaments this year where I’ve struggled in one round or a couple of rounds.”

“I think it’s about confidence and fluidity. I don’t have any other way to explain it. I have been working on the swing quite hard over the last few months and it looks really good on camera. I just get on the course and I hit a couple of bad shots and I guess that it sort of makes you lose confidence a little bit during the round.

“It’s just a bit of a struggle and it seems like if I’ve had a few too many tournaments this year where I’ve struggled in one round or a couple of rounds and not been able to put it all together.

“I don’t feel like it’s too far away at all. It’s just a matter of believing and staying patient and working hard and knowing that if you work on the right thing, you are going to turn it around.”

McIlroy will continue his ongoing search for the form that saw him top the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic last year at the Irish Open in just under a fortnight’s time.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor