There are a few venues in our game that I would call cathedrals of golf – Pebble Beach, Augusta National, St Andrews obviously, and maybe a few more that you could add in there.
They mean a bit more than others, which is probably to do with the history and the golfers who have won on those courses, and what those people have meant to the game of golf. Going into last week, I had a big fat zero on all of those venues, so to finally knock one off at Pebble is very cool.
I’m a big historian of the game and I remember all the championships that have been played here, and to add my name to that list is pretty cool.
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It was a great week for a lot of different reasons – the hole-in-one during the first round, playing Cypress Point for the first time, and obviously getting a win. I couldn’t have wished for a better start for my PGA Tour season.
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I’ve been on a nice run of form since last autumn and I’ve played some really good golf and continued that into this year. It’s a great way to start my year.
‘I’m a very well-rounded golfer’
Coming down the last hole at Pebble with a three-shot lead and being able to enjoy it somewhat was really nice.
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It was special to have the time to stand on the 18th tee box and just honestly look at one of the most beautiful holes in golf and enjoy it, enjoy the stroll up 18 and not feel like there was too much pressure.
Halfway up 18, I was rooting for Shane (Lowry) to make a four so he would finish second on his own. It was great to be able to have that and to also share this win with Harry (Diamond, his caddie). I’m the one who gets to lift the trophy, but there’s a lot of people behind me and it’s good to be able to share it with them.
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Pebble Beach is a very different test than what you would typically expect at a US Open. However, I do feel my game can travel to any sort of golf course in any conditions, in any set-up. I feel like I’m a very well-rounded golfer and I can adapt to whatever I need to adapt to.
I was able to show that over the weekend, especially during the third round with the wind and rainy conditions. I can win on different venues, different tests, firm courses, soft courses, windy, calm, rain, long golf courses, short golf courses. Anything that I feel is thrown my way, I feel like I’m prepared to handle it.
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With more experience, I’ve become better with strategy and picking conservative targets at times, and maybe picking more conservative clubs off the tees too. Another big thing is obviously my short game.
Last year, it was a little up and down where I would have a good week, then I’d have a bad week. There wasn’t a ton of consistency in it. The up-and-down on the first hole during the final round for example, it’s a big up-and-down just to get things going.
McIlroy ‘more equipped’ to handle adversity
I’m a big admirer of Scottie’s Scheffler for a lot of different reasons and every time I play with him – and watch how he plays and how disciplined he is – it’s a really cool thing to watch.
I’m trying to take a little bit of a leaf out of his book. When one of your peers has the year like he had last year, and honestly the year like he had in 2023 as well, you start to take notice of what he is doing and what has made him or helped him separate himself from the rest of the fields.
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There are impulses that I have on the golf course that it looks like Scottie doesn’t have and I have to rein those in, and I have to try to be a little more disciplined about it.
For me, it’s really about trying to get the best out of myself. I know if I can play to my capabilities and do what I did out there a little bit more, the world rankings or the career PGA Tour wins will take care of themselves.
Scottie is and has been the best player in our game for the last couple of years and I feel like I’ve been close. That’s motivating to try to get the best out of myself and try to become the best player in the world again.
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I want to do the right things every day, and that’s being consistent, being disciplined, getting enough sleep, eating the right diet, doing the right amount of practice, recovering, making time for other interests in my life that can get me away from golf a little bit, too.
It’s always been the mental side for me. That probably is the biggest barrier between me being good and being great.
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For the most part over the course of my career, I’ve had the physical attributes and hit the ball long and been able to do things that maybe some other guys aren’t able to do, but it’s sometimes been my mind or my thought processes that has held me back a little bit.
I think I’m much better equipped now to handle whatever is thrown my way.
Fans can watch Rory McIlroy and stars of the PGA Tour every week live on Sky Sports. McIlroy is back in action at the Genesis Invitational from February 13-16. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
