The master is ready to rediscover his kind of normal. “I’m just glad that it‘s done. I don’t want to ever have to go back to that Sunday afternoon again. I’m glad that I finished the way I did, and we can all move on with our lives,” remarked Rory McIlroy in advance of his defence of the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club, one of the PGA Tour’s $20 million signature events.
McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam with that Masters win, has sought to move on again. Back to normal, as it were. And while that historic victory at Augusta provided a career highlight, so far, the Northern Irishman and world number two – who turned 36 last Sunday – has sought to get back into the groove, especially with next week’s US PGA at Quail Hollow on the horizon.
Last week, McIlroy had his coach Michael Bannon fly over to Florida for a three-day practice from Monday to Wednesday before he flew to New York for television and business commitments. “When I got back home [to Florida] and sort of got back more into my real routine Sunday, Monday, then coming up here [to Philadelphia], that period is behind me and I’m looking forward to the next few months.”
McIlroy, already a three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season (the Pebble Beach pro-am, the Players and the Masters) is defending the title he won at Quail Hollow last year but at a new tour stop on an old classic course designed by AW Tillinghast that was renovated just over a decade ago.
Truist Championship: Rory McIlroy prepares to get back into his groove in Philadelphia
Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action after showbiz sweep as he prepares for US PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler equals PGA Tour’s lowest 72-hole total as he wins event by eight shots
‘Welcome to the club, kid’: Rory McIlroy says Tiger Woods and Elton John among stars to reach out after Masters win
“It’s very similar to a lot of these old-school courses that have been renovated over the past few years. A lot of trees have been taken out. The green complexes are, for me, the interesting thing about the golf course. It sort of feels to me like a smaller version of Oak Hill, not a lot of strategy off the tee because there’s no real hazards. There’s some fairway bunkers, but if you avoid those, the rough’s not that long so it’s not a huge penalty,” explained McIlroy, who is likely to use his driver as his power tool as the main part of his strategy.
“It’s a little simple off the tee, I guess, is the best way to describe it, but making sure with the second shots that you’re below the hole and trying to get to learn the greens a little bit more. Yeah, sort of a smaller, shorter version of Oak Hill is sort of how I see the course.”
“I think, when it was renovated, it probably would have held up to the distances that were being hit, but even now 10 years on, I feel like every par-4 out there is like 430, 440. They sort of feel like they’re 40 or 50 yards [shorter] than what they need to be. Still, it’s a cool track to play.
“I go back to Oak Hill a couple years ago at the PGA, and I tried to play the golf course strategically over the first couple of days, and I just realised that these new renovated old-school courses, like, the strategy is just hit driver everywhere and then figure it out from there. That’s sort of the strategy of this place this week.”
McIlroy is a four-time winner of the tournament now known as the Truist Championship, which will act as his fine-tuner before chasing further Majors in the PGA back on familiar terrain at Quail Hollow next week, where he will head in – finally – without the need to answer questions about any Major drought.
“I’m obviously going to feel more comfortable and a lot less pressure, and I’m also going back to a venue that I love. It’s nothing but positive vibes going in there next week with what happened a few weeks ago and then with my history there and how well I’ve played at Quail.
“It probably will feel a little bit different. I probably won’t be quite as on edge as I have been for the last few years when I’ve been at Major championships. I’ll probably be a little bit better to be around for my family, and I’ll be a little more relaxed. I think overall it will be a good thing,” he added.
McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the only two Irish players in the field in Philadelphia, while Séamus Power is playing in the Myrtle Beach Classic. Leona Maguire returns to action on the LPGA Tour after a one-week break, playing in the Mizuho Americas Open in Liberty National, New Jersey.
Truist Championship Lowdown
Purse: $20 million (€17.6 million)/$3.6 million (€3.16 million) to the winner.
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
The course: A historic, classic course – which underwent a restoration programme in 2013 to return it to its AW Tillinghast design roots, featuring run-offs around greens, distinctive contouring and dramatic bunkering systems – the Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course) is making its debut as a PGA Tour course, temporarily filling in for Quail Hollow (the traditional home of the Wells Fargo) which next week hosts the US PGA.
The renamed Truist Championship is sixth of the PGA Tour’s signature events this season. Players will play one of the shortest courses on the schedule – 7,119 yards, par 70 – with a number of standout holes, including the par-3 14th, played from an elevated tee, and the par-5 15th, which includes a feature known as the “Great Hazard”, a section of long rough and cross bunkers across the fairway.
The field: Scottie Scheffler, the world number one and runaway winner of the CJ Cup, is an absentee this week as he sticks to his plan for a week off in advance of the US PGA. But those ranked from two to 11 in the world rankings, most notably Masters champion Rory McIlroy, are playing. McIlroy is the defending champion (although the tournament has a new name – the Truist rather than the Wells Fargo – and a new venue). Jason Day’s withdrawal earned Patrick Rodgers a late call-up. It is a 72 holes stroke-play tournament with no cut.
Weather: Thunderstorms are anticipated both Thursday and Friday with expected disruptions to the first two rounds, although the forecast for the weekend is much better, with drier and sunnier conditions expected.
Irish in the field: There are two Irish players – McIlroy and Shane Lowry – in the limited field, both having the same start times albeit in different threeballs: McIlroy is grouped with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood (off the 1st tee at 5.26pm Irish time), while Lowry is grouped with US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Justin Rose (off the 10th tee at 5.26pm Irish time).
Betting: Rory McIlroy is the market leader at 4-1 as he seeks a fourth win on the PGA Tour in what is already proving to be a stellar campaign, while Collin Morikawa – with new caddie Joe Greiner – on his bag is rated 14-1 with Ludvig Aberg an 18-1 prospect. Justin Rose, though, is worth an each-way look at 60-1. Rose, beaten by McIlroy in a playoff at the Masters, won his only Major, the US Open, at Merion (also in Philadelphia and on a similar tight, classic layout).
On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf (from 7pm).
