Rory McIlroy’s name has been hard to miss lately, whether it’s for what he’s doing on the course or off it.
His Masters win back in April was the highlight of a strong early season that already included victories at the Players Championship and Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
It looked like McIlroy was back to his best. But things have taken a turn since then.
He’s come under fire for a range of issues: using a non-conforming driver, skipping press conferences, and some disappointing results haven’t helped his cause either.
His latest controversy came ahead of the Scottish Open when he made a comment during his press conference that he later admitted he shouldn’t have said.
Rory McIlroy admits regret comment about PGA Frisco
McIlroy recently spoke about what it would mean to win the Open Championship at Royal Portrush next week.
In the process, he made a remark about PGA Frisco, the future site of the PGA Championship. He said: “If venues in golf matter to you, it maybe puts a little bit more pressure on you.
“So yeah, I would love to win an Open at Portrush, absolutely. I would love to win an Open at St Andrews. I would love to win a US Open at Pebble Beach. I’d love to win a PGA at PGA Frisco – no. (Laughter).”
He continued: “But it’s like there are venues in the game that just mean a little bit more. Frisco might get there one day, who knows?”
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Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard later mentioned that McIlroy already regrets what he said about PGA Frisco and wasn’t sure why he even brought it up.
“I asked Rory afterwards, I said, ‘Were you saving that one?’ and he said, ‘I don’t know where that came from! I actually felt bad when I said it, as soon as it came out of my mouth.”
Open Championship return could spark Rory McIlroy back into form
Hoggard’s co-host, Ryan Lavner, also discussed McIlroy’s chances of winning next week’s Open Championship.
Lavner thinks the Northern Irishman has a good chance of returning to form, especially after a busy period on the PGA Tour. With some time off and playing on home soil, he believes McIlroy could be at his best again.
Laver highlighted: “You can talk about the various parts of Rory’s game and why this portends well. He drove it great at Oakmont for the US Open. He putted great at the Travelers Championship in his last start on the PGA Tour.
“But as he mentioned in his press conference, he really likes the idea of detaching himself from the past couple of weeks, where there is a grind on the PGA Tour, there is a certain routine and cadence to it. The Tuesday-Thursday grind is all the same every single week.
“This has felt different, I think, not just sort of the crowd affection but the style of play, incorporating your family more on a daily basis, I think, is always a positive thing for a player like Rory who is 36 and has been doing it for 18 years as a professional. I think that is all going to be a very positive thing.”
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