McIlroy didn’t require persuading for return to The Renaissance

Rory McIlroy’s previous antipathy to The Renaissance after his experience here two years ago was greatly exaggerated, he suggested on his unexpected return.

Back in a stellar abrdn Scottish Open field – the best in European Tour history, by way of world rankings – Rory rejected the notion he had to be strong-armed into coming back.

“I wanted to play, I made the decision. I’m not here against my will,” he said. “But being over here, it made sense to play rather than go down to London for a week and practise down there.

“It’s a good test. Players will get punished more for wayward shots (than in 2019), which is what you’re looking for. You want to be challenged.

“This is a wonderful week to have the Scottish Open and it’s actually a wonderful venue. Everything is so easy. I’m staying in the clubhouse this week, the gym’s right here and the facilities.

“I guess I could have gone to Wembley and put my Danish top on! But I think it’s important for me to play.

“I played last week and there were a couple things that I needed to work on. It’s nice to have Pete (Cowen) here this week to work on them and get another four rounds.”

The no-nonsense swing guru who has joined McIlroy’s team this year is known for his plain speaking, and that’s exactly what Rory wants.

“The great thing about Pete is he doesn’t sugarcoat it,” said McIlroy. “He’ll tell me when it’s not great, so that when he does give me a compliment, I know that it’s real.

“It’s probably stuff I’ve worked on before but said in a slightly different way, slightly different thoughts.

“Pete’s been doing it such a long time and with so many great players, he knows what works and what doesn’t. I’ve really enjoyed learning from him.”

But of course McIlroy’s focus is primarily next week at Sandwich.

He remembers the expectation when he went in 10 years ago at the same venue as favourite in the wake of his runaway win at the US Open at Congressional.

“I remember grinding my ass off for 13 holes on Saturday morning with my rain jacket on,” he said.

“The weather started to clear up on the 14th tee. I took my rain jacket off and proceeded to hit one out of bounds. That was sort of it for me for the tournament.

“All anyone asks of themselves is to give themselves a chance on Sunday. At St George’s, you know you might get some unlucky breaks and you’re going to get some good breaks.

“But you just pack your patience and know that it’s the same for everyone. The good and the bad bounces should all level out over 72 holes.”

Rory McIlroy is happy to rejoin the Scottish Open field.