Rory McIlroy discovered himself viewing golf highlights on YouTube a few weeks ago, just like the majority of golf fans. The sole difference is that he served as the star of this highlight reel.
At Royal Liverpool, the links course that will host The Open once more next month, McIlroy observed his triumph in the 2014 Open Championship. He focused on his tee strokes while he viewed the video from almost ten years ago. Not due to the divide that frequently exists between him and his peers. The variety of clubs he utilized off the tee was what caught his attention instead.
“I was honestly shocked at how many irons, 3-woods, and other clubs I was hitting off the tee. It triggered a thought in my head that said, “You know how to do this.” You’re a shrewd player. You don’t always have to hit the driver. Yes, it’s a powerful weapon and a significant advantage. But I keep saying that I feel like I have more tools at my disposal today than I did back then, so I might as well put them to use.” he made the statement after shooting 67 in the second round of the U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club on Friday.
This weekend, as he competes for another major title, McIlroy will have the chance to demonstrate that patience. McIlroy is 8 under par (65-67) and will be very competitive as the second half of the U.S. Open begins.
After just two trips around the LACC, he used birdies on four of his final five holes on Friday to surge into contention and create a theme. The front nine of the course plays about a stroke easier than the back, but McIlroy has taken it to the limit. There is a clear differential in the difficulty of the course’s two nines.
On each of his rounds of the front nine, he has shot 30, as opposed to a total of 72 on the back. McIlroy began his second round there and finished with a 2-over 37. After 13 holes, he was still below par for the round. Then, on four of his final five holes, he made birdies.
On the fifth, 493-yard hole, a 22-foot birdie putt set the tone. On the sixth hole, he flipped a 60-yard wedge shot to 6 feet, and in two shots, he got to the par-5 eighth hole. He finished the round by driving the ninth hole’s 168-yard tee shot to three feet.
As the competition goes on, Los Angeles Country Club, which had the lowest first-round scoring average in U.S. Open history, will probably play more challengingly. As McIlroy completed his second round, the sun began to shine, which is good news for those who want to see the course put up more of a fight. And McIlroy is one of them.
“It must be challenging. There should be an equal amount of mental and physical effort required.” McIlroy said.
His third of four significant victories was the 2014 Open, which he watched on YouTube. Since winning the PGA Championship a few weeks after triumphing at Royal Liverpool, he hasn’t claimed another major championship. This gives an additional chance to put a stop to that dry spell.
“Nobody wants it more than me to win another major. There is undoubtedly a desire. Over the past nine years or whatever it is, I’ve been trying and have almost succeeded, but I keep returning. I believe that during my professional life, despite many ups and downs, I have demonstrated a high degree of resilience. And I’ll continue to return regardless of whether doing so results in me being praised, punched in the belly, or anything else.” he said.
