‘I’ve got unfinished business’ – Rory McIlroy talks up major hopes

Rory McIlroy believes he has some “unfinished business” as he looks to end his major drought in 2025.

It will soon be 11 years since the Northern Irishman lifted one of the game’s ‘big four’, but he has high hopes of putting that right next year.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the release of his new documentary, McIlroy explained that he is primed to get the most from the upcoming major schedule.

“I love that we’re playing the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in May, which is typically when we played the Wells Fargo,” McIlroy said.

“It’s when I know the golf course the best and sort of, I know that it’s going to play, you know, the characteristics.”

McIlroy won at the North Carolina venue this year, defeating two-time major champion Xander Schauffele at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The PGA Championship, meanwhile, is the second major of the year and one the 35-year-old won in 2012 and 2014.

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Of course, the event comes after the Masters and before the US Open.

That was the one that really got away from McIlroy in 2014, losing in dramatic fashion to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst’s famed No.2 course.

But McIlroy reckons he deserves more credit for the improvement in his game on perennially difficult layouts.

“I think the one thing that probably won’t get enough credit, because I’ve not won the US Open [in 2024], is that I feel like I’ve become such a such a better player at US Open venues,” he said.

“So, 2016, when we last played at Oakmont, where the US Open is, I missed the cut.

“I missed the cut in 2017 at the US Open and I missed the cut of 2018 in the US Open, but since then I’ve made a real effort to try to change what I did and how I approached playing that championship.

“From 2019 all the way through to this year in 2024, I feel like I’ve had a chance to win the US Open every Sunday that I’ve played there since, so I’m really proud of that.

“I’m looking forward to going back to a golf course that I struggled at before to see if I can figure it out.”

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McIlroy was one of several big names – including Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose – to miss the cut at Oakmont in 2016.

And it was his first in a major for three years, following three top ten finishes and two wins.

Still, perhaps the one McIlroy is most desperate to turn around would be his record in The Open at Royal Portrush.

Despite a Friday charge which saw him return in 65, he missed the weekend cut by one.

“I can’t wait to go back to Portrush,” he said. “Because I feel like I’ve got some unfinished business there from last time.”

The new documentary called “Rory McIlroy: Expectation” will be available to watch on Sky Sports from December 8.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.