TOP-RANKED RORY McIlroy tries to become only the fifth player in PGA history to win four consecutive starts when the season-ending US tour playoffs begin Thursday with The Barclays.
The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland won last month’s British Open and followed with his first World Golf Championships title at Akron, Ohio, before claiming the PGA Championship two weeks ago for his fourth major title.
“Whenever you’re on a run like this, your expectations are sky high,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “When you get on a run like this and momentum is on your side, a lot of things fall your way.”
McIlroy, the first winner of back-to-back majors since Irishman Padraig Harrington in 2008, could join an exclusive list by winning this week at Ridgewood Country Club in suburban New York.
Four players in PGA history have produced win streaks of at least four tournaments, with Byron Nelson claiming the record at 11 wins in 1945, Tiger Woods taking a career-best seven in a row in 2006 and early 2007, Ben Hogan having a run of six in a row in 1948 and Jack Burke winning four straight in 1952.
Woods has had runs of five and six in a row as well as seven and is the only man since Hogan won five in a row in 1953 to win at least four in a row.
McIlroy could carve his name onto that list with a victory and take a major step toward winning the playoff crown.
“For me it would just be gratifying if I could finish off this season well and finish off the season the way it should be finished,” McIlroy said. “I’m playing this good golf. I’ve had a great year, an awesome summer. I want to be up there in contention week-in and week-out.
“I feel like the season I’ve had deserves a finish like that. I’m going to just grind out every week that I can. It’s a big four weeks coming up.
“It just means you have to play well right until the end and I don’t mind that. I’m going to go for as long as I can playing well.”
- Scott seeks strong season finish -
Australia’s Adam Scott is the defending champion and hopeful of adding the playoff crown after going without a major title this year following his breakthrough first major victory at last year’s Masters.
“If you asked me Sunday night at the Masters when I won, if I would win one of the next seven, I could have assured you I would,” Scott said.
“But it hasn’t happened that way and that’s not a surprise now. It’s just the way the game is. It’s not easy to win.”
Scott, who won last year’s title on a different course, had two top-10 efforts at majors this year but won only once in 15 US PGA starts this season.
After falling ill during the last playoff event last year to miss out on a playoff crown, a strong finish would help spark Scott into next season.
“It will feel like I’ve achieved something this year,” Scott said.
“Obviously to go through and not win a major when my mind was really set on that, it was disappointing.
“But there’s always something to play for, whether it’s this week or over the next month. I’d like to walk away with at least another PGA Tour win this season and hopefully maybe two.”
Scott praised McIlroy’s run, noting how his prior struggles in second rounds had been a hot topic before his British Open win and have faded with his streak of success over the past month.
“In the week before the Open it was the ‘Friday curse’ and Rory is cursed and since then he has been blessed,” Scott said.
“Rory has had a whole career in four weeks. That’s a Hall of Fame career in four weeks out here. That’s amazing golf.”
Good luck girls tomorrow. Bronze probably the realistic target
Feel sorry for Kelly McGrory. Do all the hard work in qualifying only to be dropped for the final, cos another athlete who was more interested in personal success decides she now wants to be a team player
@WqM9AAv3: name of the game sadly
@WqM9AAv3: I’d imagine the rest of the team would get down on their knees and beg adeleke to start
@WqM9AAv3: erm, they actually want to win a medal. You pick your best available runners.
@WqM9AAv3: she wasn’t dropped. It’s a 6 person team, and you play your best cards in the final. They all do it. At least McGrory got to run. What about Lauren Cadden who didn’t get a run. Should we bring her in for the final because its the taking part that counts.
@WqM9AAv3: that’s how it rolls, she will get her medal if we do medal, if she is not subbed out, very unlikely to get a medal.
So it’s the best thing for her and the team to be subbed out
@WqM9AAv3: You are clueless. Go hibernate for another four years, and you can try and fail then to pretend you know a single thing about Athletics.
@WqM9AAv3: clown she couldn’t run semi as preparing for 400 final .
@WqM9AAv3: are you one of these lads who thinks we shouldn’t keep score in things and everyone would get the same medal after.
@WqM9AAv3: Not knockin McGrory but she was the weakest link in that semi final. Adeleke is a serous improvement for the final. Its basically the same as rotating your squad for the bigger games in soccer. Nothing wrong with it.
@WqM9AAv3: jed what planet are you living on
@WqM9AAv3: clueless
@WqM9AAv3: She probably knew that was going to happen. It’s cruel at times. But sports can be.
@WqM9AAv3: all the medalling teams, bar the 4×100 mens bronze for gb, are doing it. Very professional. Now go get Kelly her medal. Team Ireland!
@WqM9AAv3: it’s a meritocracy. You’re probably used to participation awards but at the Olympics that’s not how it works.
@WqM9AAv3: you think she should have not bothered with the individual? Hahaha wtf
@WqM9AAv3: win at all costs eh? No wonder the sport is clouded in controversy, performance enhancing narcs, men boxing women, athletes returning from doping bans to win medals (legit this time) athletes smashing their pb’s. Big big sigh
@WqM9AAv3: Men boxing women? Get the facts right before spouting nonsense. The ultimate test was done – are they capable of having a child? The answer is YES. Box away girls.
Hopefully a medal usa will win it jamaica most likely second all the other finalists will be up to get the bronze
@Square: USA and the Netherlands in that order. Bronze up for grabs.
@Ray Ridge: GB for silver, Netherlands bronze and gold to the girleens in green. US drop baton at last changeover whilst well ahead..
@Ray Ridge: stop will ya ireland will beat holland with RA in the team usa and jamaica top 2
@Ray Ridge: just saw u running there in the 10 thousand meters last
@Square: I wish I had a tan that good!
@Ray Ridge: netherlands aren’t better than gb, france and Jamaica. Americans to win and then it’s wide open.
@Ray Ridge: you tired yet over 30mins that race lol
@Kevin Dillon: im telling him that all day
@Kevin Dillon: Netherlands will medal. No doubt about it. Provided they don’t get the butter fingers. Forget about France.
@Square: You would be surprised how long I can go for baby!
@Ray Ridge: just wondering Ray are you from Portumna
@Ray Ridge: you’d expect the Dutch to medal alright but Bol has had a really tough week. She is a bit of a freak though
@Oliver Curley: Not from Portumna.
@munsterman: I think they will medal alright. Anything can happen in relays of course.
@Ray Ridge: FIND OUT 815 TOMMORRY USA JAMACIA IRELAND TOP 3
@Square: USA, Netherlands and GB.
Delighted. Girls will run a big race