BALLY HO!
Over-cautious Mcilroy vows to revisit ‘carefree’ teen years as he goes on Donegal glory hunt
SHARP-SHOOTER Rory Mcilroy is ready to release the safety catch as he guns for a fast start in today’s opening round of the Irish Open.
The World No.8 – a 7/1 joint favourite alongside defending champion Jon Rahm at balmy Ballyliffin – believes he is a bigger threat when he is more spontaneous.
In a candid interview after yesterday’s pro-am event, Mcilroy also accepted age and married life may have smoothed the edges that served him well in earlier years.
Being more “carefree” and less analytical will be his mantra on the Inishowen Peninsula.
He said: “The way I’ve approached the game some times this year, I’ve been too careful and haven’t been willing to hit the right shot or hit the driver when I need to be aggressive.
“I just need to be a little more carefree. That sounds bad but I think that’s the way I play my best golf. If I can get back to that free-wheeling approach, that will do me a world of good.
“As you get older, your natural instinct is to become a little more careful. You take more risks when you’re a teenager. I just need to get back to playing the game like a teenager.”
Mcilroy believes a safety first approach detonated his chances at this year’s Masters, when a final round 74 saw him fall from contention for a T5 finish.
Asked what lessons he pocketed from his recent Augusta experience, he replied: “Just go and play your game – try not to be too perfect.
“Get out of your own way, I guess. That’s the one thing I need to do better and it’s more a mental thing than anything physical. I just have to approach it better mentally.”
The 29-year-old is not losing sleep over the fact it is now four years since he won the last of his four Majors in the darkness of Valhalla at the 2014 US PGA.
“I’m not having nightmares,” he said. “Look, if I didn’t win another Major for the rest of my career, nothing is going to change in my life.
“Obviously, I won’t feel like I’ll have fulfilled my potential but at the same time there are other things in life that are more important than golf. It doesn’t keep me up at night.
“I just need to give myself chances. I was proud of myself getting into the final group at the Masters and I have two more chances this year to play myself into contention.” Mcilroy won the Irish Open at the K Club in 2016 but has also missed the cut in four of his last five appearances, during which time he has had to juggle his duties as tournament host of the £5.3million event.
“I’ve cut back from a few things off the golf course,” Mcilroy said. “There’s been a couple of times where I just haven’t felt as prepared as I could have been walking on to the first tee on Thursday. So I got here Monday morning, practised Monday afternoon and all day yesterday.
“I’ve done my work so there’s no excuse about not being prepared.”
On his prospects this week, Mcilroy – who first played Ballyliffin as a teenager in 2005 – said: “My iron play and short game feel good. I just need to hit the fairways.”
Asked if he is disappointed that only six of the world’s top 50 players – Jon Rahm (No.5), Mcilroy (No.8), Rafa Cabrera Bello (No.25), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (No.30), Matt Fitzpatrick (No.39) and Haotong Li (No.42) – will tee it up at the fourth Rolex Series event of the year, he replied: “It’s the nature of world golf.
“It’s two weeks before The Open and obviously next week’s Scottish Open has a great date to attract some of the overseas players.
“I’m very appreciative that Jon Rahm is defending his title. People can’t play every week. I don’t want to twist anyone’s arm because I know I say no to guys all the time.
“I think it’ll still be a great tournament. There’s a lot of money and more World Ranking points here than the Greenbrier on the PGA Tour so we are the biggest tournament in the world this week.”