Tiger behind strangehold

– Even though Tiger Woods has not won a Major championship in a decade, he deserves credit for recent American dominance of the biggest events, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy (pictured) said on Wednesday on the eve of the US Open.

All four Majors are now in US hands after Patrick Reed’s win at the Masters in April, which followed victories by Brooks Koepka (US Open), Jordan Spieth (British Open) and Justin Thomas (PGA Championship) last year.

McIlroy says the current generation have been inspired not only

Southampton

by growing up watching Woods at his peak, but also getting to know him as a person.

“They have probably a couple of guys, but one in particular that they try to emulate who’s back out here playing,” McIlroy said.

“A lot of these guys have got to know Tiger and being able to say, ‘this is what he does, we mightn’t be able to achieve everything that he has, but we can at least try’.”

McIlroy has won four Majors, but has not tasted victory since the 2014 PGA Championship, a drought he hopes to end at Shinnecok Hills this week.

“I’ve had a few good looks at the course over the past few days. I love the course, especially with how the conditions have been,” he said.

McIlroy, along with Englishman Justin Rose, is among those most likely to break the American stranglehold on Majors.

But McIlroy will have to put his Masters disappointment behind him to win a second US Open trophy. Starting the final round at Augusta in second place, McIlroy melted under the challenge of trying to complete a career Major Grand Slam. – Reuters