RORY MCILROY IS confident that he can “excel” at Baltusrol and fancies his chances of winning another major at the US PGA Championship this week.
The world number four was unable to add to his tally of four major titles at The Open this month, finishing in a share of fifth as Henrik Stenson was crowned champion at Royal Troon.
McIlroy has found the US PGA very much to his liking, winning the final major of the year twice, recording five top-10 finishes and never missing the cut.
The Northern Irishman is backing himself to mount a strong challenge in Springfield, New Jersey due to the nature of the course.
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He said on Tuesday: “It’s a fair golf course. This week especially, I feel like everything’s straight out in front of you. There’s no real hidden secrets to it. And I feel that’s what really lets me excel.
“I feel like I can play my game in PGA Championships. I can hit driver off the tee most of the time, and from there, if I drive it well, I feel like I have a big advantage.
“It’s always been a tournament that’s set up well for me. I’ve had some good finishes here. Obviously the wins in 2012 and 2014, but then I’ve had a couple of top-threes, a couple of top-10s, apart from that, as well. So it’s been a good tournament for me.”
He added: “There’s a lot of golf left, it’s the last major of the year, and I want to give it my all to get in the mix and try to win another one of these things before I have to wait another eight months to try to get another opportunity at Augusta next year.”
McIlroy did not feel he could not have done much more in The Open a fortnight ago after watching Stenson and Phil Mickelson contest a pulsating final-day duel.
“I felt good [at Royal Troon]. The best I realistically could have finished at The Open was third. I never envisioned even with good conditions that I could get to 17-under and 20-under.” the 27-year-old said.
“So if third was the best I could have done, fifth was okay. I felt like I played pretty well throughout the week. I felt like I handled the conditions pretty well that I had to play in.
“I feel like coming to courses like this and conditions like this at Baltusrol, it’s more of my type of golf I guess, and I feel like I can really do well this week. I feel like my game is in good shape.
“I had some really good practice sessions with my coach, Michael Bannon, last week. I feel like I’m swinging it well. I’m hitting it good. Every aspect of my game, I’m very comfortable with.
“Combine that with the layout of the golf course here, and I feel like this is my best chance this year to win a major.”
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Rory McIlroy fancies his chances at the US PGA this weekend
RORY MCILROY IS confident that he can “excel” at Baltusrol and fancies his chances of winning another major at the US PGA Championship this week.
The world number four was unable to add to his tally of four major titles at The Open this month, finishing in a share of fifth as Henrik Stenson was crowned champion at Royal Troon.
McIlroy has found the US PGA very much to his liking, winning the final major of the year twice, recording five top-10 finishes and never missing the cut.
The Northern Irishman is backing himself to mount a strong challenge in Springfield, New Jersey due to the nature of the course.
He said on Tuesday: “It’s a fair golf course. This week especially, I feel like everything’s straight out in front of you. There’s no real hidden secrets to it. And I feel that’s what really lets me excel.
“I feel like I can play my game in PGA Championships. I can hit driver off the tee most of the time, and from there, if I drive it well, I feel like I have a big advantage.
He added: “There’s a lot of golf left, it’s the last major of the year, and I want to give it my all to get in the mix and try to win another one of these things before I have to wait another eight months to try to get another opportunity at Augusta next year.”
McIlroy did not feel he could not have done much more in The Open a fortnight ago after watching Stenson and Phil Mickelson contest a pulsating final-day duel.
“I felt good [at Royal Troon]. The best I realistically could have finished at The Open was third. I never envisioned even with good conditions that I could get to 17-under and 20-under.” the 27-year-old said.
“So if third was the best I could have done, fifth was okay. I felt like I played pretty well throughout the week. I felt like I handled the conditions pretty well that I had to play in.
“I feel like coming to courses like this and conditions like this at Baltusrol, it’s more of my type of golf I guess, and I feel like I can really do well this week. I feel like my game is in good shape.
“I had some really good practice sessions with my coach, Michael Bannon, last week. I feel like I’m swinging it well. I’m hitting it good. Every aspect of my game, I’m very comfortable with.
“Combine that with the layout of the golf course here, and I feel like this is my best chance this year to win a major.”
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Defending champ Day paired with Mickelson and McIlroy for opening rounds of PGA
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