RORY HUNTS FINE FORM
Having that three-month break, and then coming back everything sort of changed. Everything feels different
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is hoping the first major championship of the year can spark his game and get him back to the form that saw him reach world number one earlier this year.
The four-time major winner got off to a rousing start in 2020 with a string of top ten finishes but then the coronavirus pandemic hit and the PGA season went into a hiatus.
“Before the world sort of shut down, I was playing some really good golf,” McIlroy said. “Having that three-month break, and then coming back everything sort of changed. Everything feels different.”
McIlroy is having to adjust to golf’s new normal at this week’s PGA Championship, including regular testing for COVID-19, temperature screenings, and social distancing including a makeshift locker room with stalls spaced three meters (10 feet) apart.
McIlroy has already won two PGA Championships, but his last one in 2014 also accounts for most recent major title.
“It’s the first major in over a year, and it would be a great week to get back into some form and give it a good run,” he said during practice on Wednesday.
McIlroy is one of several players who have held the world number one ranking at some point this season.
McIlroy knows if he can get his short game in order he will be a threat to win his third PGA Championship.
“I’ve always liked how the PGA Championship setups have been for me. I think they’re fair,” said McIlroy.
“My game doesn’t feel that far away. I feel like I’ve played pretty well. I just haven’t got a lot out of my game.