Rory McIlroy seeks Nicklaus’ wisdom

As the hysteria surrounding Rory McIlroy’s split from Caroline Wozniacki subsides, McIlroy turned to golfing legend Jack Nicklaus for some advice on how to win at this week’s US Open.

“I was at the Memorial and I actually had a bit of lunch with him,” McIlroy revealed.

“I had a great conversation with Jack and I feel very honoured.” – Rory McIlroy

“I said to him, ‘It would be great to sit down with you for a little bit and just talk about a few things’. He said, ‘No problem at all’.”

“I had a great conversation with Jack and I feel very honoured that I’m able to call him up for advice.”

Rory McIlroy’s rapport with Nicklaus

If you’re in need of advice on how to win major championship’s who better to turn to than the man who tops the winner’s list? McIlroy is appreciative of the help Nicklaus has given him heading into Pinehurst, and feels the two share a special bond.

“Some of the things he said to me I’m really thinking about going into this week. He was a great US Open player and, hopefully, some of those little nuggets of wisdom that he passed on to me might help.

“He’s been really generous with his time with me, offered any sort of advice that I wanted or needed. He’s been great. I feel like I’ve got a really good rapport with him.”

Rory McIlroy has a point to prove

It has been suggested that Rory McIlroy will struggle in the firm conditions of Pinehurst. However, he is desperate to be among the leaders down the stretch in a major again, and says there’s no reason why that won’t happen  this season.

“I’d love to be able to prove to myself, and to prove to other people that I can win in different conditions. It’s a great opportunity to do that this week,” he said.

“I want to feel the buzz of being there on the last day of majors.” – Rory McIlroy

“I’ve got three majors left this season and I do feel like my game is good enough to be able to contend in all of them.

“There’s a lot of guys coming in here feeling like they have a great chance to win. I put myself in that category. I want to feel the buzz of being there on the last day of majors and having a chance to win.”

Rory McIlroy is currently one-over through ten in his first round. Keep up to date with the scoring here.