The question on everyone’s lips: How Rory McIlroy will fare at Oakmont after a season where he’s won The Masters but also struggled to find consistency?
Heading into the Masters, McIlroy already claimed titles at both Pebble Beach and The Players Championship, and it looked like he was set to complete a career grand slam at Augusta until things came to an abrupt halt.
McIlroy did manage to win The Masters – a victory many believed would lead to more majors in the months ahead. But since that first major of the year, it’s safe to say McIlroy’s form has dipped.
Now, as the US Open approaches, it is hard to see him contending in the week ahead. This is a stark contrast to what many believed McIlroy could achieve this year.
The ‘silly’ comment made after Rory McIlroy won The Masters
Rex Hoggard in particular was a firm believer in McIlroy winning it all after his Masters masterclass, but now that’s something he’s beginning to regret saying.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Hoggard admitted he feels a bit foolish for being so confident about McIlroy’s chances after Augusta.
“The quote I leaned into was the idea that he said you dream about standing on that green at The Masters and winning the green jacket. What you don’t dream about is what comes afterwards,” he said.
“There was so much real estate of the backend of that statement which didn’t seem to be finished. Now you are having to deal with things that I think a lot of us in the media probably alluded to but I personally did not believe. I did not believe he was going to get to the top of the mountain and go the David Duval route and say this is it. This is what I have worked my entire life for and maybe this isn’t as fulfilling as I thought it would be.
“That is probably not fair, because I think what is happening here at least at this moment in time is probably just a bit of a hangover from the celebration and deciding that I am going to enjoy this. It took me the better part of two decades to get here I am going to take a minute and savour this. I think all of us should be able to appreciate that.
“But when you have a player of that calibre who just a month ago you and I were talking breathlessly about him now being unburdened by all the things weighing him down over trying to complete the career grand slam, imagine what he can do from here. Imagine the grand slam tear he could go on. I think my hyperbole went so far as can you imagine him doing the single season slam this season? Now look how silly I feel!
“The punch shot yesterday was will Rory contend or miss the cut? I wrote that he would miss the cut. Because of how he has played the last few weeks.
“And in Rory’s case he lets the world in to a certain degree that where he’s able to admit that yes, I dreamt of that moment on Sunday at Augusta, I never even thought for a moment to dream about what would come afterwards.”
Rory McIlroy now getting used to making fast starts at the US Open
McIlroy hasn’t missed the cut at the US Open since 2018. The Northern Irishman finished in the top 10 in each of the last six editions, including runner-up finishes at LACC and Pinehurst.
After missing the cut three times between 2016 and 2018, he’s turned the tournament into a real strength.
His worst opening round in that stretch was a 70 – and with Oakmont on the horizon, another steady start could set him up well given his recent struggles.
Let’s see how he gets on this weekend with the US Open fast approaching.
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