The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Rory ready to tame first love
HE WAS just 10 when he started to race about the place in search of Sergio, 12 when he first played it, and at 23 Rory Mcilroy feels ready to conquer Wentworth at last.
The world number one coming into the BMW PGA Championship this week, a position he will retain if Luke Donald fails to hold on to his title, the West Course just seems like one of these many places in golf that will almost inevitably fall to Rory’s charm and talent.
It’s not as if he doesn’t know it already, having been coming over every year for the World Matchplay when he’d run around from dawn to dusk watching his heroes, the first of which was a debutant 19-year-old Sergio Garcia in 1999.
“My mum and dad would leave me at the first tee at 8am and not see me again until six at night,” he recalled.
“Playing, I finished fifth here in 2009 and not great otherwise, but I love the course.
“When I was 12 I was great friends with Dan Torrance (son of Sam) and I stayed with his family playing this course every day for a week, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Rory especially likes the changes-to-the-changes implemented this year, as owner Richard Caring and Ernie Els continue to tinker with their redesign.
“The 12th is back into a par five, they’ve flattened out the 15th green and I love what they have done to 18,” he added.
The alterations to the famous par five final hole, specifically the position of the green tucked into an artificial water feature, caused the most disquiet but nature seems to have actually lent Ernie a hand.
The tree that restricted the tee shot died and was felled, a fairway bunker removed, the green enlarged and now a solid drive offers a proper incentive to go for it in two.
The old, exciting chance of a 3-3-3 finish is probably still unattainable considering the lengthened 17th, but to come from one back to win with an eagle three at the last is now tempting again.
“The playability is better,” said Rory. “I think the winning score was six-under last year and we’ll have double-digits this week, which is better for us and for the fans.”
Rory went to World No 1 after winning the Honda Classic earlier this year, and this is his first European Tour event since then, indeed first since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last year.
“You feel you have more responsibilities,” he said of the ranking. “I’m a lot busier at tournaments than I used to be with commitments and it’s a balance between getting the time to practise and doing that. “I think that’s something Martin (Kaymer) said when he got to No 1, he struggled a bit with that stuff.
“But I always believed I had the potential to be the best player in the world, and maybe after the US Open win at Congressional last year I started thinking of myself as one of the elite players.
“You don’t go around saying you’re the best, but you have to believe you’re better than anyone else, and I think I’ve proved that when I am on my game, I’m pretty hard to beat.”
Last year Wentworth proved a face-off between Donald and Lee Westwood for the top ranking, and it went all the way to a playoff won by Luke.
“That was the way to decide it, and if I could be part of a finish like that this year it would be great,” continued Rory.
“Luke was my player of the year last year, I don’t think anyone played as well as he did for the whole 12 months, he won here, the Scottish, the Matchplay and the Disney and played really consistently the whole year.”
Donald picked up the 2011 Player of the Year prize at the Tour’s annual dinner on Tuesday, and also an honorary membership of the Tour from chief executive George O’grady yesterday.
“You have to believe you’re better than anyone else...” Rory Mcilroy
But the defending champion knows who got the big gift when talent was being handed out.
“Rory is the most naturally-gifted player there is, free-flowing, hits the ball far, just seems effortless,” he said.
“I feel if I don’t work hard and grind, I’m not going to be successful, it’s just not that easy for me.”
And while Donald is proud of his consistency and wins, he’s knows what’s missing.
“I’m not going to shy away from it, I want to win Majors and that’s the thing missing on my resume,” he continued. “I’m very jealous to see those trophies with some of those guys.
“Watching them, that’s what motivates me.”