It is not a one-off notion nor a thought born in the heat of Open Championship week. Rory McIlroy has been publicly arguing for months that the calendar of the four majors needs a rethink and this Tuesday, on the eve of the start of the 154th edition of the British Open at Royal Birkdale, he insisted again. It is an idea that won’t leave his head…
The current champion of the Masters had already argued at the start of the year for reverting to a calendar more like the traditional one, with the PGA Championship being played in August to better spread the four Majors across the season. Later he again lamented that the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship are concentrated in barely three and a half months. He has now taken his reasoning a step further: he no longer only believes it would be better for the players, but for golf itself
That said, the Northern Irishman also made it clear that he is fully aware of the difficulty involved in changing a calendar in which numerous bodies are involved. “I don’t get involved in that part anymore. It’s a very complex puzzle,” he said, recalling his experience on the governing bodies of the PGA Tour. “There are many different organisations and many opinions. I could express mine, but I don’t think it will change anything,” he added resignedly
Beyond that matter, McIlroy conveyed optimism about his form after a Scottish Open that ended with mixed feelings. Despite carding a good round on Sunday, he acknowledged that he didn’t like the way his swing developed during the week and that he has used the last few days to make adjustments
“Over the first two days in Scotland I felt really good, but my game deteriorated as the tournament went on,” he explained. “I’ve worked quite a bit in recent days, taking the TrackMan out again, looking at my numbers and trying to make the feelings in my swing match what I’m seeing. Today I felt good both on the practice range and on the course. I’m definitely heading in the right direction,” he said
Indeed, the TrackMan featured in another of the most interesting answers from the press conference. McIlroy rejected the stereotype that players who are too dependent on technology have more difficulty competing in an Open Championship. “I disagree,” he replied emphatically. “The TrackMan is a very useful tool. You can obsess over the numbers and that can be damaging, but it can also help you find the right feel. If you can link a number to a particular feeling in the swing, you actually become a player even more guided by feeling” The world number two explained that he uses the radar during the season to detect small deviations in his swing and quickly recover the feel he is looking for
He also offered a very interesting reflection on how he is facing this stage of his career, now that he has completed the Grand Slam with the victory at Augusta. “It would be a pretty empty pursuit to chase only records and results,” he said. “You have to enjoy the process and the journey. I’ve learnt the hard way. If you focus on improving your game and doing things right every day, in the end the results arrive by themselves or, at least, put you in position to win”
Asked what will motivate him when he hits the first tee shot on Thursday at Royal Birkdale, he returned to that philosophy. “I want to see how good I can be. I want to see if all the work and preparation I’ve done withstand the greatest pressure in this sport, which is the majors,” he explained
On Royal Birkdale, McIlroy praised most of the changes made to the course, especially to holes 5 and 7, and spoke very positively about the new undulations around the greens forcing players to make different decisions. “When you give professionals options and make them doubt which shot to play, that’s when things become really interesting,” he commented. “That’s not always fun for us, but it’s the sign of a great major test,” he insisted
Finally, he also referred to the pressure of playing the Open in front of the home crowd, a situation that this week will be experienced by players such as Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick or Justin Rose. “You feel you’re playing well for everyone and not just for yourself,” he recalled. “There is already enough pressure to do well for yourself, so adding that extra layer is always complicated,” he said. An experience he himself suffered at Royal Portrush and which he hopes the English know how to manage better than he did back then
