‘This is not normal’: Paul McGinley concerned by Rory McIlroy’s behavior at the US Open
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Rory McIlroy will tee up at the 125th US Open hoping to add a sixth major championship title to his haul. For his former Ryder Cup captain, though, that feels like the unlikeliest scenario come Sunday…
Rory McIlroy’s body language ahead of the US Open is “very worrying”.
That was the verdict of Paul McGinley on the eve of the 125th edition of golf’s oldest major as the sport’s newest Grand Slam champion struggles to find form since his emotionally and physically draining victory at Augusta in April.
McIlroy finished in a tie for 47th in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow – a course at which he has won more titles than any other – before a missed cut at the Canadian Open as his driver woes continue to haunt him.
And the Northern Irishman drew criticism on Tuesday when he was short with reporters when asked about his equipment changes, a few days after he had told media he was “pissed off” with them for leaking the news about his non-conforming gamer at the PGA Championship.
This recent pattern of behavior, McGinley believes, is “very un-Rory-like”.
“It was very worrying looking at his press conference,” the former Ryder Cup captain said on Golf Channel’s ‘Live From’. “His eyes weren’t alive. The energy was not there.
“He certainly didn’t have the pointy elbows the way we saw coming into the Masters. He was a man on a mission, he was a man on a bounce, he was a man out to prove something. ‘Get out of my way, here I come. I’ve got something to accomplish.’ You could see that and feel the energy. You don’t see it at the moment.
“I’m no psychologist but it looks like the air has been sucked out of him a little since that, not just in the way he’s played but in his press conferences.
“It’s very un-Rory-like in his press conferences to have such low energy. There will be a reset at some stage and it doesn’t look like it’ll come this week. His team are saying he’s playing OK.
“But this is not normal Rory. This is not when he’s at his best in my opinion. I think he’s at his best when he’s pissed off and he’s out to prove something following off a big loss or something that went wrong.”
McIlroy, to his credit, has not shied away from his recent form.
“You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters,” he said. “But you don’t think about what comes next.
“I think I’ve always been a player that struggles to play after a big event, after I win whatever tournament. I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you’ve just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it and you want to sort of relish the fact that you’ve achieved a goal.”
McGinley, though, can empathize.
“I know from my own experience, when you win tournaments, you check out,” he explained.
“You don’t feel the same. You want to be there and you put in the energy but something inside you is just missing.”
“But,“ McGinley added on McIlroy, “He is someone who can ignite quicker than anyone else.“
McIlroy, who said he finished birdie-birdie to shoot an 81 during a practice round at Oakmont last week, will play alongside Shane Lowry and Justin Rose for the opening two rounds.
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Rory McIlroy has struggled for motivation since winning the Masters in April.
