PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He didn’t talk after a disappointing PGA Championship and took a few weeks off, now Rory McIlroy trying to ramp back up at the Canadian Open before heading to Oakmont for the US Open next week.
He had an outstanding start to the season winning at Pebble Beach, then THE PLAYERS and of course the Masters to finish the career grand slam. McIlroy has only played three times in the last two months finishing 12th with Shane Lowry at the two-man event in New Orleans, seventh at the Truist Championship and 47th at the PGA Championship.
McIlroy said Wednesday he was upset that on Monday of PGA week it was leaked that his driver failed a test. He wanted to keep that quiet and hasn’t talked to the media since. He was also annoyed that he shot a 74 in the opening round of the PGA Championship and really never had a chance to win after that point.
There was something else that he said that will be interesting to watch for next week at Oakmont. Where is his overall mind at?
He became one of a half-dozen players to accomplish the career grand slam. It sounds like the motivation isn’t quite there right now.
“I don't know if I'm chasing anything,” McIlroy said at the Canadian Open. “I would certainly say that the last few weeks I've had a couple weeks off, and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is maybe a little tougher than it used to be. You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again.”
The 36-year-old believes that while it was tough to put in the work the last few weeks, he thinks it has been a good reset. He said he’s trying to figure out where he’s at in his own head. What he wants to do and where he wants to play.
“I thought it was a good time to reset some goals,” McIlroy said. “I've had a pretty good first half of the season, and I want to have a good second half of the season now, too.”
That second half starts for him next week at Oakmont Country Club in what many fans hope would be a showdown between the two 2025 major winners, he and world number one Scottie Scheffler.