Rory McIlroy reveals what Jack Nicklaus told him to change about his game just two weeks ago

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Rory McIlroy is desperate to win The Memorial Tournament at some point in his career.

McIlroy is a huge admirer of Jack Nicklaus, and the feeling is mutual.

The Northern Irishman has always craved a victory at Muirfield Village but he has never been able to get the job done.

Rory McIlroy almost certainly won’t win The Memorial Tournament this week, as he heads into Sunday eight shots adrift of the leaders.

That said, a lot could change, with J.T. Poston and Ryan Gerard having only played five holes of their third round.

Jack Nicklaus will be in attendance at Muirfield Village on Sunday, and he would dearly love to see McIlroy finally get over the line and win his tournament.

Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus share a very close relationship, and the Golden Bear often tries to help the 37-year-old in any way that he can.

Rory McIlroy reveals what Jack Nicklaus told him to change about his game

Nicklaus famously helped McIlroy devise a game plan to win The Masters back in 2025, and he gave him some advice this year ahead of the final round – ‘no effing double bogeys’!

The man from Holywood, Northern Ireland, did make a double bogey during the final round at Augusta National, but he still won The Masters in spite of that.

After McIlroy was forced off the golf course due to inclement weather on Saturday, he spoke to Amanda Balionis of CBS Sports.

The Northern Irishman responded when asked whether Nicklaus has given him any advice recently.

“I’d love to win here,“ McIlroy admitted.

“It’s an iconic tournament. I watched Tiger so many times when I was a kid, you know, walk up that hill and shake Jack’s hand and get the trophy.

“It’s a puzzle I haven’t quite figured out yet. It’s a tough course. I feel like every aspect of your game needs to be on.

“And the last few years I’ve played here, I’ve played okay, but it just hasn’t quite clicked for me.

“So, yeah, I would love to win here. I’d love to walk up that 18th hill and get that handshake from Jack.

“Jack and I have a wonderful relationship. We met each other in February, 2009, for the first time, in the parking lot of the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens.

“I feel so fortunate that I get to see Jack a lot at the Bears Club, where I practice, where I live.

“Shane and I were having lunch a couple weeks ago, and Jack just came over and sat with us, and, you know, how often do you get that?

“Arguably the greatest of all time comes and sits down, and, you know, he’s always telling me how to play more cut shots, especially on these greens to get it to land softer.

“But yeah, it’s amazing to be able to pick Jack’s brain and he said some really nice things about me at the Champion’s Dinner at Augusta this year.

“So, really grateful for that. It’s amazing to be able to get to know Jack and Barbara and the entire family.“

Why Rory McIlroy has struggled to win The Memorial

The 37-year-old quite obviously has the game to win at Muirfield Village.

However, golf is a funny game. In order for Rory McIlroy to win The Memorial Tournament, his game needs to peak for one specific week in June every year.

Muirfield Village is a golf course where golfers need their ‘A’ games to win. They simply can’t ‘fake it’ around Jack’s Place.

McIlroy simply isn’t accurate enough off the tee and, as a result, he is often severely punished at Muirfield Village due to the incredibly thick rough that lines the fairways.

Even McIlroy admitted himself that his greatest strength is taken out of his hands at Muirfield Village.

“Yeah, for being such a long golf course I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot, which, you know, I pride myself on that being one of my biggest weapons,“ he said.

“The fairways pinch in right around the spots where I would be finishing driver. So it’s frustrated me in a way that I feel like my biggest weapon is in some way neutralized here.“

Rory McIlroy may well realize his dream one day and win The Memorial Tournament, before walking up that hill behind the 18th green at Muirfield Village to shake Jack Nicklaus’ hand.

However, there are a lot of golf courses more suited to his game than Jack’s Place, unfortunately.