OAKMONT, Pa. — Rory McIlroy mentioned Tuesday that he shot 81 with two birdies on the ultimate two holes at Oakmont Nation Membership throughout a scouting journey to the course final week.
“They’d the pins in dicey areas, and greens had been operating at 15 1/2. It was almost unattainable,” McIlroy mentioned. “I birdied the final two holes for 81. It felt fairly good. It did not really feel like I performed that unhealthy.”
McIlroy, who missed the lower the final time the U.S. Open was held at Oakmont in 2016, mentioned the circumstances of the course this week have to date been extra benign than what he beforehand skilled as a result of copious quantity of rain the world has obtained in latest days.
The five-time main winner and defending Masters champion was one of many first off Tuesday morning as he cruised round Oakmont with Shane Lowry earlier than spending ample time on the driving vary.
“It was a bit softer. The pins aren’t going to be on 3 or 4 p.c slopes on a regular basis,” McIlroy mentioned. “Should you put it within the fairway, it is actually playable. However then you definately simply have to consider leaving your ball under the outlet and simply attempting to make as many pars as you may. You get your self in the best way of some birdies, that is a bonus.”
That’s the problem that Oakmont presents to the very best gamers on this planet this week. Some pars are going to really feel like birdies, whereas bogey on a number of the course’s hardest holes will probably be welcomed. The course’s massive, sloping greens are robust sufficient, however the problem begins off the tee the place thick, deep tough awaits simply off Oakmont’s tight fairways.
Whereas driving is often McIlroy’s power – he’s second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee this season – his previous couple of begins have featured uncharacteristic performances in that space. After his driver was deemed nonconforming on the PGA Championship at Quail Hole final month, McIlroy tried to make use of a shorter driver and a special head on the RBC Heritage final week. He hit solely 42% of the fairways and located solely 4 within the second spherical, when he posted an 8-over 80.
At programs like TPC Sawgrass and Augusta Nationwide the place he is gained this yr, a missed fairway nonetheless allowed McIlroy to faucet into his talent and hit restoration pictures to battle his means up the leaderboard. However at Oakmont this week, he will not be capable to do this. Each participant within the discipline is aware of that hitting the green is crucial to having success on this specific setup.
“Should you miss a fairway right here, you may’t actually do something with it until you are in the midst of a fairway bunker and you may get one thing over the lip.” McIlroy mentioned.
McIlroy had mentioned he can be testing numerous driver heads prematurely of the U.S. Open and he has landed on utilizing final yr’s TaylorMade driver mannequin that includes the identical settings as the driving force he used to win the Masters. On Tuesday, he mentioned he hung out working towards since lacking the lower in Canada and feels much more assured in that membership this week.
“I really feel a bit higher with the driving force over the weekend at dwelling and even at this time enjoying a observe spherical,” mentioned McIlroy. “So hopefully I can hit a couple of extra fairways than I’ve been hitting and provides myself some alternatives.”
Alternatives to attain could also be scarce this week. In 2016, solely 4 gamers shot underneath par. However McIlroy isn’t the participant he was in 2016, particularly not within the U.S. Open. After lacking three cuts at this occasion from 2016 to 2018, McIlroy mentioned he decided to evolve as a golfer and, as he put it, rebuild his recreation across the sport’s hardest exams. Since, he is had six straight top-10 finishes on the U.S. Open together with back-to-back second place finishes the final two years.
“I’ve undoubtedly turn out to be a way more assured U.S. Open participant and I am far more snug on these agency, quick setups such as you noticed at Pinehurst final yr and LACC the yr earlier than that,” McIlroy mentioned. “The U.S. Open went from in all probability my least favourite main to in all probability my favourite due to what it asks from you. And I really like that problem.”
