Two days before the start of the US Open 2025 at Oakmont Country Club, Rory McIlroy has appeared at a press conference with a warning for everyone: this course is unforgiving. The Northern Irishman, who recently won the Masters Tournament just two months ago, thus completing the Grand Slam, revealed that in his last practice round at Oakmont just eight days ago, he scored 81 strokes. Yes, eighty-one: “and that’s with birdies on the last two holes… but the truth is, I didn’t feel like I played that badly,” he admitted, both resigned and amazed.
That phrase sums up the spirit of Oakmont well, one of the most feared and revered courses in the world. “Last Monday the course was impossible,” McIlroy explained. “The greens were rolling at 15.5, the pins were in ridiculous positions, and although it’s now more benign, it’s still a monster. You have to be alert with every shot, from tee to putt.”
This hell is not new for Rory. The US Open was already held there in 2016, and the memory is not exactly pleasant for the Northern Irishman. “I tried to erase that tournament from my memory,” he confessed. In that edition, McIlroy missed the cut, a constant between 2016 and 2018, a period when the US Open seemed the most elusive ‘major’ for his playing style.
That has changed. Since 2019, he has achieved six consecutive top-10 finishes in this tournament, including two runner-up finishes in the last two years. The key? A change in mindset and a transformation in his game. “I decided I wanted to build my game around the toughest tests in golf,” he explained. “And now, from being the Major I liked the least, the US Open is probably my favourite.” Last year, only a dramatic finish prevented him from winning.
One of the most striking aspects highlighted by the Northern Irishman is the difficulty of playing from the rough. “Sometimes you can’t even find the ball,” he joked. “Last week, if you missed the fairway, you were searching for minutes. It penalises even when you don’t miss.”
That harshness of the course is what motivates him the most. “The one with the most patience and best attitude will win,” he stated confidently. He knows that the recipe at Oakmont has no secrets: fairway and green. “Here you can’t play recovery golf. If you miss the fairway, you’re likely to have to chip out and rely on your wedge to make par,” he explained this Tuesday, emphasising the difference with courses like Augusta or The Players, where it’s easier to find escape routes after errors from the tee.
Undoubtedly, the victory at the Masters Tournament has marked a before and after in his career. Rory has completed the Grand Slam, something only five men in the history of golf have achieved. He dreamed of it for over a decade. He achieved it. And now? “I don’t have a five-year plan. I’m going tournament by tournament,” he admitted. A simple phrase, but one that reflects a transitional stage in his life. He has reached a peak, one of the highest, and still isn’t sure what his next challenge will be.
He has confessed the difficulties in finding motivation again. “After something so big, it’s hard to find the drive to keep working just as hard,” he explained. “I dreamed so much about sinking that last putt at Augusta, but I never thought about what would come next.”
McIlroy has learned to live with those ups and downs. “I always struggle to perform the week after a big win. You want to enjoy it, savour what you’ve achieved. And I think I deserve it after chasing that goal for fifteen years.”
In 2025, besides trophies, Rory has set out to have fun. “One of my goals this year was to have more fun. Do more things I like. Get back to having hobbies,” he said. He has returned to playing tennis, something he had stopped for fear of injury. “Harry and I played quite a bit last weekend. It was a lot of fun.” He has also found joy in family trips. “Being able to show Poppy the world at such a young age is a wonderful opportunity,” he said with a smile.
On the technical side, he feels more confident with the driver after working a lot at home. In fact, he acknowledged that one of the keys was changing clubs: “I learned I wasn’t using the right driver.” This week he will carry a new TaylorMade —although he didn’t want to give more details— and hopes that improvement translates into more fairways hit and more opportunities.
Asked why he expresses himself so freely at press conferences, he responded with a laugh: “I suppose because I like myself… and I like golf.” He joked, but also added sincerely: “I think I know a lot about golf, especially about my game, and I’ve always liked to share it.”
At 36, McIlroy will seek his second US Open —the first was in 2011— and prove that the US Open remains his favourite Major…
