You’ve caved in to complainers, claims McIlroy
Mowers cut down rough after whingeing
RORY McILROY accused some of his fellow pros of unnecessary whingeing yesterday as the mowers were sent out to cut down the fescue rough that had already caused a storm of protest in the build-up to the 117th US Open.
The Northern Irishman, making his comeback here following a month out with a recurrence of his rib injury, could not contain his exasperation when informed of the lamentable loss of nerve on the part of the organisers, the United States Golf Association.
Although the rough is undoubtedly ferocious, as pointed out by any number of bleating players on social media, it is mitigated by the fact the fairways at Erin Hills are incredibly generous.
‘We have 60 yards from left to right, we’ve got 156 of the best players in the world, and if you can’t hit it within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home,’ said a disbelieving McIlroy. ‘These are the widest fairways we’ve ever played at a US Open. Even the first and second cut is another ten yards on top of that — and you’re complaining about the fescue that’s even wider than that? ‘I get that it’s thick and whatever, but it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s the US Open, it’s supposed to be a tough test. The guys haven’t got much to complain about.’ But complain they did — and, even sadder, the USGA took notice. After the shambles of Chambers Bay two years ago and the Dustin Johnson rules farce last year, the USGA are under intense pressure to get this US Open right.
That pressure told as Kevin Na posted a memorable video rant on Twitter about the fescue rough and fellow American Brooks Koepka — no prizes for guessing he’s not the straightest hitter — ludicrously described the test as borderline unplayable.
What rendered the decision to send out the mowers still more ridiculous was the ferocious thunderstorm on Monday night that dumped a couple of inches of rain on the course to effectively make the fairways even wider.
McIlroy’s thoughts were backed up by the next man in the interview room — former US Open champion Jordan Spieth.
‘The fairways are certainly wide enough to hit and the fescue doesn’t make it in any sense unplayable,’ said the Texan. ‘You’re supposed to drive the ball well if you’re going to win America’s national championship.’
As for McIlroy, the last minute course changes apart, he was decidedly chipper for a man who has withdrawn from as many tournaments this year as he has played, and enthused about the challenge ahead.
‘The wide fairways mean you can hit a lot of drivers and be aggressive and any time that’s the case, it’s to my advantage,’ he said.
McIlroy will have a new putter in the bag this week. One of the stipulations of his megabucks new contract with TaylorMade was that all 14 clubs were made by the manufacturer and so, following extensive testing, he will try out one of their products.
‘I spent a day with my putting coach Phil Kenyon in Southport and we’ve found one that works well,’ he revealed. ‘The driver and the putter are going to be the two key clubs this week. Drive the ball well and it will allow you to be aggressive with your iron shots and give you the chance to make birdies.’
McIlroy admitted he will have to manage his practice workload going forward to ensure he has no more rib problems. ‘I think it boils down to only being able to hit two bags of practice balls rather than five, but that’s fine,’ he said.
‘When you’re away from the game, you realise how much you miss playing, and so I’m going to add a few tournaments over the summer like the Scottish Open. You realise how lucky you are to play golf for a living, and I just want to get back to doing that.’
The 28-year-old also used his down time to work out a future plan for the majors, with a no holds barred analysis as to why he hasn’t really contended in any since he won The Open and the USPGA in his memorable summer of 2014.
‘When you look at my four wins, I shot one 67 and three 66s in the first round to get off to a great start and I feel that’s imperative for me to take the pressure off,’ he said.
‘It also has to do with preparation. If you prepare 100-per-cent mentally, that puts
you in a great frame of mind to go out there and attack the golf course.’
McIlroy’s preparation this time has been far from ideal, of course, and he acknowledged there was a worry that the lack of competitive play would tell.
‘When I came back from the original injury in Mexico, I started 67, 66, but didn’t play with the same freedom in the final round,’ he admitted. ‘Obviously, I’m hoping that won’t be the case this time if I do get into contention.’
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia (left) hopes he can rely on memories of his Masters triumph as he looks to win back-to-back majors.
Garcia finally won his first major at the 74th attempt in April, defeating Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose in a play-off at Augusta National.
And the 37-year-old will now try to become only the seventh player — after Craig Wood, Ben Hogan (twice), Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Spieth — to win the Masters and US Open in the same year.
‘That’s the goal and that’s where we want to go,’ Garcia said before taking his first look at the course following a morning thunderstorm. ‘I hope that I can keep playing well and win many, many more, now that we have our first one.
‘The only thing I can do is keep putting myself in that situation as many times as possible and now I can maybe rely on what I felt on Sunday at Augusta. Hopefully, it gives me a little bit of an edge when it comes down to that situation.
‘At the end of the day I think that, obviously, we’ve achieved something that we’ve been trying for so long and it’s easy to kind of take a deep breath and relax.
‘But I’m still working out hard, I’m still working on my game as much as I can and as hard as possible. I’ve always said it. Wins are important, but, to me, consistency is the most important thing.’