Rory McIlroy feels his sport is ‘as sharp as it has ever been’ so early within the season, with a profitable begin to his PGA Tour marketing campaign solely fuelling perception that this might be the yr he lastly ends his main drought.
McIlroy secured a powerful victory on the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am, the place he performed a six-hole stretch in 5 beneath on his option to a final-round 66 and two-shot victory over Ryder Cup and Olympic team-mate Shane Lowry.
The world No 3’s victory is his twenty seventh PGA Tour title and leaves him with six top-four finishes in his final seven worldwide begins, with an early-season win additionally giving him confidence going into the main season and a Ryder Cup yr.
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McIlroy tells Sky Sports activities’ Nick Dougherty that he’s feeling good on the golf course and why he thinks his sport is ‘fairly shut’ to his peak
McIlroy’s bid to finish the profession Grand Slam has dominated the build-up to The Masters – dwell from April 10-13 on Sky Sports activities – over the previous decade, having registered 21 top-10s in majors with out victory since his 2014 PGA Championship success.
The 35-year-old will as soon as once more be among the many favourites for the opening main of the yr, with the newest Sky Sports activities Golf podcast discussing McIlroy’s profitable begin to the yr and his main hopes for the months forward.
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“That chip on his shoulder is never going to go away with The Masters until he wins it or ends his career, which is something that he lives with ahead of every April,” David Howell informed the Sky Sports activities Golf podcast. “That is Rory’s nice problem although, as a result of right here we’re speaking about it already.
“He is a sensible boy and simply look the place he’s now in comparison with the place he was Sunday night of the US Open, which was devastating for him when Bryson [DeChambeau] received and he let that one slip away.
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Highlights from an exhilarating ultimate spherical of the 2024 US Open, the place Bryson DeChambeau edged out McIlroy
“He’s smiling again. He’s happy. He’s content and he’s swinging well. It always went by that last week there was no waggles, no practise back swings – he just hitting the ball just so beautifully from tee-to green.
“If he can flip up at Augusta with that sport, then he will threaten. I feel earlier years, the previous few, he hasn’t turned up with that in his locker.
“He’s trending well this time but only he can work out how to get across the finish line at Augusta National. I think he’ll win there one day and this nice start to his challenge this year.”
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Main venues to spice up McIlroy’s probabilities?
McIlroy has seven profession top-10 finishes at Augusta Nationwide with out ever securing his solely lacking main, though may this yr’s main roster – together with Quail Hole, the place he has received 4 instances – assist his possibilities of ending his main drought?
“His reaction when he holed the winning putt on Sunday was very telling,” Sky Sports activities’ Jamie Weir defined. “There wasn’t a fist pump, there wasn’t an emotional embrace with Harry [Diamond, caddie]. There was only a light little increase of the putter to the group.
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“Another PGA Tour win for Rory McIlroy doesn’t mean anything – it’s about getting that major and we all know it’s 11 years since the last one.
“Augusta stays the monkey that should get off his again by some means, whereas Quail Hole [PGA Championship] looks like someplace he may win round with one hand tied behind his again.
“Oakmont follows and he has form of turn into a US Open specialist in recent times. Then it is Royal Portrush [The Open], the place he hopes to make amends for that quadruple bogey he began with again in 2019.
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McIlroy mirrored on making a profitable begin to his PGA Tour season and mentioned what it may imply for the yr forward
“He will be targeting one of those majors or perhaps more than one?!”
Gamers again ‘unrivalled’ McIlroy to succeed
McIlroy’s enjoying companion Lowry stated his Ryder Cup team-mate ‘took management’ at Pebble Seashore on his option to victory, whereas Straka – finishing that ultimate threeball – described him as ‘probably the most spectacular participant’ he has performed with.
The Northern Irishman nonetheless trails American duo Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele on the high of the world rankings, though Laurie Canter – who received on the DP World Tour in Bahrain final weekend – believes McIlroy provides one thing totally different.
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McIlroy eagled the par-five 14th in the course of the ultimate spherical at Pebble Seashore, extending his benefit over the chasing pack
“I think he’s the player that the players probably enjoy watching the most as well, if that makes sense,” Canter stated. “Some of the stuff he does with the ball and I think his ability to go at kind of every pin as well is impressive, as a player watching another player.
“He’s so entertaining to look at. I feel tee-to-green, when he is on, you are watching somebody particular. I feel everybody realises what he can do with a golf ball and, tee-to-green, he’s unrivalled.”
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Will McIlroy’s title be etched on a significant trophy in 2025?
The place will McIlroy play subsequent?
McIlroy will function for Boston Frequent within the TGL over the approaching weeks, whereas his subsequent PGA Tour begin is about to be the Genesis Invitational from February 13-16 – moved to Torrey Pines because of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
Watch Rory McIlroy function on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour all through 2025 dwell on Sky Sports activities. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract on NOW.
