Rory: I have not played par fives well enough
RORY McILROY blamed his poor performance on the par fives as his winless drought in majors continued in the 103rd US PGA Championship.
McIlroy was installed as the pretournament favourite on the back of his victory in the Wells Fargo Championship a fortnight ago and his eight-shot triumph the last time Kiawah Island staged the US PGA in 2012.
However, the 32-year-old was never a factor following an opening 75 and again failed to break par despite easier conditions yesterday, a third round of 74 leaving the four-time major winner on five over par.
‘I just haven’t played the par fives well,’ said McIlroy, whose last major victory was his second US PGA title in 2014. ‘At least today I didn’t play them in over par, I played them in even.
‘I’m five over for the championship and I think most of that’s been the par fives. I need to do some other things better as well, but that certainly hasn’t happened. I’ve put myself out of position a little bit with a couple of the tee shots on the par fives and that’s cost me.
‘Still a little bit of work to do, not quite feeling like it’s all there, and that’s what (this) course does. It exposes where you’re not at your best, and certainly this week that’s been off the tee.’
Asked what he needs to improve, McIlroy said: ‘It’s being a little tidier around the greens, it’s hitting a few more fairways, it’s taking some of your chances when you do hit good iron shots, instead of making the pars, you make the birdies. Just getting some momentum.
‘I just feel like I haven’t had any momentum this week. When you start the way I did today with a bogey and then you don’t make a birdie on the second hole, you’re just always trying to play catch up, and it’s hard to on this golf course because there’s very few opportunities where you can be really aggressive.’
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre has set his sights on challenging in major championships after maintaining his 100 per cent record in the game’s biggest events.
Rounds of 75 and 73 at Kiawah Island meant MacIntyre has made the halfway cut in all five of his major appearances to date, but the 24-year-old left-hander is not about to rest on his laurels.
‘It’s good, but I’ve not challenged in one yet,’ MacIntyre said after a third round of 72 kept him on four over par.
‘So, although I’m making cuts and picking up (world ranking) points, I feel like I’m miles off where I want to be. I want to be challenging on a Sunday and this weekend, I’m making up the numbers, it feels.
‘That’s the disappointing part, but you can’t have it all at the one time.’
MacIntyre finished sixth on his major championship debut in the 2019 Open at Portrush and was also 12th in the Masters in April during a successful spell in the United States.
‘I feel better on tougher golf courses, I think it suits my game more,’ MacIntyre added. ‘The tougher the better for me
‘I feel comfortable (in America). I’ve made a lot of friends out here now that I can bounce things off. If I need a question answered I can pick a few guys’ brains.’
Asked if his goal was to take up membership of the PGA Tour, the world number 45 added: ‘It’s everyone’s goal in world golf. You ask anyone on the Challenge Tour back home, they want to one day play on the PGA Tour.
‘But you’ve got to remember where you come from and where it all started, and the European Tour has been a huge, huge part of that. If I could pick a perfect schedule, it would be the exact same one as Tommy Fleetwood’s. You play in Europe and you play over here, and you split it roughly 50/50.’
Jordan Spieth might have expected to reduce his deficit to the leaders after a third round of 68 got him back to level par, but with conditions remaining favourable for the later starters, he was off to simply enjoy the Phil Mickelson show.
‘It’s Phil, right. It’s theatre,’ Spieth said of the veteran who went out in the final group yesterday. ‘I don’t watch golf but I promise you I’m going to turn it on to watch him today. It’s pretty incredible.
‘He’s just a great player.’