McIlroy seeks major glory at Open Championship in homeland

Rory McIlroy has signaled an attacking policy for this week’s British Open, saying he hopes to use his driver liberally at Royal Portrush after having enjoyed considerable success with the strategy last year.

The par-71 Portrush measures a whisker over 7,300 yards, though links courses generally play shorter than their yardages due to firm fairways that afford plenty of roll.

Long hitters such as Northern Ireland native McIlroy need not hit their driver often but it can be advantageous to do so.

“Carnoustie last year I didn’t envisage hitting that many drivers and then I got there the week of the tournament,” said McIlroy of last year’s British Open.

What he saw at the Scottish course was less potential for trouble with wayward drives than he expected. A subsequent tie for second vindicated his attacking game-plan.

McIlroy guesses that he has played Portrush between 50 and 100 times, but only a handful of occasions since a re-design two years ago that included two new holes.

At Portrush in 2005, a 16-year-old McIlroy shattered the course record in shooting 61 at the North of Ireland Championship.

Americans have won the first three majors of 2019. They have not won all four in a year since 1982.

Gary Woodland will attempt to become the first player to win the US Open and The Open in the same year since Tiger Woods in 2000.

Woods is competing for the first time since last month’s US Open. He is one win shy of tying Sam Snead’s record of 82 career PGA Tour titles and is three majors shy of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18.

No. 1 Brooks Koepka is attempting to become just the fourth player to win at least five majors before turning 30 (Nicklaus, Woods, Bobby Jones). He can also become the first player under 30 to finish first or second in all four majors in a single year.

Twenty of the past 21 major champions entered the week ranked within the top 25 in the world. (Reuters)