A TIDAL FAVE
Course, weather give McIlroy every chance to swamp field
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Call it unfair. Call it unrealistic. Call it knee jerk. Call it whatever you want.
But this is a no-excuses week for Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy not only needs to win this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow to validate everything he’s been telling us for months about how close his game is to breaking through, but he should win this week’s PGA Championship — for a litany of reasons.
First, though he doesn’t actually possess the deed to the property, McIlroy owns Quail Hollow. He’s won two Wells Fargo Championships on the course, winning in 2010 at 15-under in his first try and again in 2015 at 21-under. In 2012, he lost in a playoff to Rickie Fowler.
McIlroy holds the course record with the 61 he shot in the third round in 2015 en route to winning by seven shots that year. He shot 62 en route to winning in 2010, his first PGA Tour victory. Put simply, McIlroy has been the best and most consistent player on the golf course.
Oh yes, he also has won two PGA Championships already, in 2012 and 2014, which happens to be the last time he won a major, as well as three top-8 finishes.
Add to that the weather this week is forecast to be rainy with chances of thunderstorms, which will leave Quail Hollow soggy and slow, making the golf course play much longer than its 7,600 yards.
Because he’s one of the longest, straightest drivers in the sport, having hit 52 drives of 300 or more yards in last week’s WBC-Bridgestone Championship, this plays right into the hands of McIlroy, who thrives on wet and long golf courses (see his runaway 2012 U.S. Open win at Congressional).
“I would say Rory’s probably the guy to beat at this point next week,’’ Jordan S pie th told reporters Sunday after his final round at Firestone. “I played with him the first two days [last week] and the way that he is driving the golf ball … [if ] he continues to do it there … he just has a massive advantage over the field at that point.’’
When Spieth’s comments were re l ayed to him Sunday, McIlroy responded: “He can be the favorite. Trying to take some pressure off himself. I see what he’s trying to do. “I’ve won a couple times around there [at Quail Hollow], I like PGA Championship setups. … If I’m the favorite, I’m the favorite,’’ McIlroy said. “I’m happy with that. [It] means I’m playing well.’’ Psychologically, McIlroy, too, would appear to be in a good place after parting ways with longtime caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald, two weeks ago and turning to his best friend, Harry Diamond. So, if everything is not in place for the 28- year-oldMcIlroy to end his threeyear major championship drought this week and become only the fourth player ever to win hi s fifth career major before the age of 30 ( j oi ni ng Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones), then it never will be.
The only possible fly in the ointment would be that there have been changes made to Quail Hollow since it last hosted the Wells Fargo. The first hole has been lengthened, Nos. 4 and 5 have been changed, No. 11 has been lengthened and — most importantly — the greens have been changed from bentgrass to Bermuda.
“When I heard they were changing Quail Hollow, at the start I didn’t like it,’’ McIlroy said. “I was like, ‘What are you doing? I love this place. Please don’t change it.’ But I think the changes are really, really good.
“It’s made the first six holes a lot more challenging. Where in the past, you could get through the first six in sort of 2-under par, then you had loads of chances coming up, like 7, 8, 10, and all the way through on the back nine. Now, you get through the first six holes at even par, you feel like you’ve played well.’’
Despite the fact golf is perhaps the most fickle sport of all, given all the factors seemingly stacked in his favor this week, McIlroy will be deemed to have played well only if he’s hoisting the trophy as the champion on Sunday evening.
No excuses.