Rory McIlroy: What Golf Star Must Do to Capture PGA Championship
For the first time in quite some time, Rory McIlroy is in the hunt for a major entering the weekend.
He shot a three-over 75 on an incredibly windy day at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C. at the PGA Championship. That puts him at two-under for the tournament, a mere two strokes behind Vijay Singh, Carl Pettersson and Tiger Woods.
A day after sinking five birdies in a bogey-free Round 1, McIlory was reduced to survival mode as the wind was blowing somewhere between 20 and 30 MPH.
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The 23-year-old did what he needed to do on a day where a plethora of golfers registered a score in the 80’s, and now he’s right in the thick of things for his second career major.
It was an incredibly encouraging day, all things considered.
He has struggled mentally with his game for the majority of the summer, and it has severely affected his play. On a day defending PGA champ Keegan Bradley called “the hardest golf course/day I’ve ever played”, McIlroy survived and is gaining confidence.
His achillies heel of the 2012 major season has been one awful round. At the Masters, it was a third round 77 that left him tied for 40th. In the U.S. Open, he shot a seven-over 77 on Thursday, which derailed his chances right off the bat. Then at the Open Championship, he shot a second-round 75, which was the main reason he finished in a tie for 60th.
He entered the weekend with some sort of momentum after finishing fifth at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.
It’s no shocker that Rory has regressed a bit, but it seems as if he is regaining his confidence just in time for the final major of the season. As long as he stays focused and doesn’t let any mental lapses lead to a disastrous round, McIlroy will be competing for the win late into Sunday evening.
McIlory has historically performed well in the final major of the season, registering third place finishes in both 2009 and 2010. It’s not a stretch to suggest he will exceed those marks this weekend.
The Wanamaker Trophy is well within McIlroy’s reach, and now it’s time to see how far his mental game has come in the last few weeks.
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