ROR ON THE SHORE
McIlroy feels on a crest of a wave as he returns to the scene of his 2012 US PGA win saying: I’m back on track
RORY McILROY is aiming for Major success on another old stomping ground after ending his long wait for a win.
On Sunday McIlroy recorded his 19th career victory, and his third at Quail Hollow, with a one-shot win at the Wells Fargo Championship.
It ended a run of 18 months without a win and saw him climb from No.15 in the world, his lowest position in more than a decade, back up to seventh.
And the 32-year-old is eyeing more glory after linking up with British coach Pete Cowen.
Cowen, who has worked with the likes of Brooks Koepka, has been coaching McIlroy in Florida. The veteran swing guru (with Mcilroy, below), 70, is expected to spend the next two weeks in America with him before the year’s second Major, the US PGA Championship.
It is just nine days until golf ’s elite tee it up at Kiawah Island, where McIlroy stormed to an eight-shot win in the tournament in 2012.
McIlroy, who missed the cut at the Masters last month, is now favourite to claim a fifth Major and a first since 2014.
“This victory’s very important going into
Kiawah,” said McIlroy of his Quail Hollow success. “It’s certainly great timing.
“I’ll go up there and try to do my homework and re-familiarise myself with the layout a little bit.
“This is obviously a huge confidence boost going in there knowing that my game is closer than it has been.
“It is validation that I’m on the right track. It’s so cool to see some of the hard work that I’ve put in over the past couple of months finally start to pay off.
“There’s so much more I want to achieve in the game.”
McIlroy arrived at Quail Hollow having missed the cut in his previous two stroke play starts at The Players Championship and the Masters.
He also failed to progress from the group stages at the WGCDell Technologies Match Play. McIlroy missed the cut by 10 shots at TPC before revealing he was battling problems caused by “speed training” in his quest for distance, a quest prompted by big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau’s victory at the US Open in September.
But he has since linked up with Cowen, while retaining the services of long-time advisor Michael Bannon. He is also working with respected sports psychologist Bob Rotella.
“Pete deserves a good bit of credit for it,” added McIlroy, who has kept pal Harry Diamond as caddie. “Michael Bannon is the one that’s got me all the way to this point, so I’m never going to mention Pete without Michael.
“But the work that Pete and I have done over the last few weeks helped. I had a couple of things to fall back on, which was really important, especially under the pressure of needing to hit good shots down the stretch.
“Pete and I did some good work last week in Florida and I felt good about my game coming here, but I wasn’t expecting to come and win first week straight out again – it’s just the start.”
McIlroy banked £1.3million which sees him jump above Justin Rose and Adam Scott to sixth on the all-time PGA Tour money list with £40m.