Mcilroy trying to rediscover his inner child

PITTSFORD, N. Y. — The curls no longer spilled from under his cap, a big change for Rory McIlroy. Prompted to reveal the rest of his haircut, he removed his hat and wild brown locks sprang to life.

“Still a little bit on the top,” he said Wednesday with an easy smile.

Only then did McIlroy resemble the Boy Wonder who dominated golf last summer, starting with his win at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record margin.

He didn’t walk down the fairways that week; he bounced. He was No. 1 in the world, and looked every bit the part.

McIlroy would love to rediscover that kid at Oak Hill this week.

In its place is a 24-year-old from Northern Ireland who has reason to feel much older. He hasn’t won a tournament, and only once did he even come close. He has finished over par in all three majors, with only two rounds at the British Open. He has failed to make the cut five times this year, which includes walking off the course in the Honda Classic with sore wisdom teeth that still haven’t been removed.

Among betting favourites, he was second only to Tiger Woods at the Masters at 5-to-1. For the PGA Championship, the odds are 30-to-1, higher than two players (Henrik Stenson and Brandt Snedeker) who have never won a major.

And he can’t wait to get to the first tee this afternoon.

Inspiration comes from videos he has been watching of his eight-shot win at Kiawah Island, along with his back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff wins against some of the strongest fields of the year. Some of what he noticed was technical, such as the position of his club in the swing. What really stood out was the body language.

“It’s how you carry yourself. It’s all that sort of stuff, your little mannerisms,” McIlroy said. “I guess it’s just trying to remember those feelings and remember how I felt that week and trying to carry some of that into this week and just get those good, positive thoughts going.

“I think everyone sees when I walk and I’m playing well, I have that little bounce in my step.”

What would go a lot longer at Oak Hill is keeping the ball in play on a traditional, tree-lined course — so many trees that even being in the fairway doesn’t mean a clear shot at the green if the ball is slightly out of position. The greens are small and slope toward the front. Oak Hill is a hard golf course, and the evidence comes from the previous five majors held on this Donald Ross design — only 10 players in those five majors have finished under par.