Rory McIlroy preaches patience as he seeks to end majors drought at U.S. Open

PINEHURST, N.C. – The notebook containing Rory McIlroy’s reflections on his golf career is surely filled with countless invaluable insights. A pro career that’s spanned more than 15 years offers plenty of fodder for introspection.

But one note is proving to be more important to the rest when it comes to McIlroy’s success in majors, especially the U.S. Open. Though it hasn’t translated into a victory yet, it has turned him into a consistent major contender. And that, McIlroy says, is the most important attribute because it provides the most opportunities for victory.

“I sort of just tried to change my mindset,” McIlroy said about his entry five years ago. “I remember writing in the sort of little golf journal that I keep about trying to build my game to suit the toughest venues that we go to.”

The key was learning to embrace the “boring” golf that is necessary when par is at a premium. Earlier in his career, McIlroy was known as a combustible compound. He could dominate with unparalleled ability off the tee and high, soaring iron shots. He won four majors in a three-year span, and two of those wins were by eight-shot margins. But he also was unpredictable, often playing himself out of contention before he’d even finished his first round.

“Explosiveness isn't going to win a U.S. Open. It's more methodically building your score over the course of four days and being okay with that,” he said earlier this week. “Honestly, it's just more of a reframing of a mindset than anything else.”

That paradigm shift dramatically changed McIlroy’s fortunes in this tournament. He has finished in the top 10 in the last five U.S. Opens after posting just two top-10s – and five missed cuts – in the previous nine. And now he has another opportunity to end his 10-year major drought.

McIlroy will start Sunday in a tie for second place at 4-under 206. He is three shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau and tied with Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay. McIlroy will play with Cantlay in Sunday’s second-to-last group.

Chasing DeChambeau briefly sidelined McIlroy once before, after he tried to emulate DeChambeau’s pursuit of clubhead speed in the wake of his dominant performance at Winged Foot for the 2020 U.S. Open. This time, McIlroy has the discipline to not be sidelined by another’s performance. Preaching patience means McIlroy will focus on executing the gameplan that he thinks will give him the best opportunity to win Sunday.

On this course, where players who get out of position are quickly punished, that means relying on the old U.S. Open emphasis on fairways and greens. McIlroy has succeeded with that formula thus far. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+13.0), Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (+5.5) and is third in Greens Hit (38 of 54) and fifth in Driving Accuracy (35 of 42).

“I love the test that Pinehurst is presenting, and you've got to focus and concentrate on every single shot out there,” McIlroy said. “It's what a U.S. Open should be like.”

He has made just six bogeys this week, tied for the fewest over-par holes in the field, and has not made a score higher than bogey. Only three players – Collin Morikawa (66), Aaron Rai (68) and DeChambeau (67) – shot lower than McIlroy’s 69 on Saturday, and Morikawa and Rai teed off hours ahead of him. Come late Sunday, the scoring opportunities will likely be few and far between.

“There's holes where you have to be conservative. There's hole locations that you can take on and hit wedges close to. There's hole locations you've got to stay away from,” McIlroy said. “It tests your chipping. It tests your putting. It obviously tests your mental fortitude more than any other golf tournament.”

Pinehurst is not a place where pursuers can force the issue. McIlroy will need to focus on making pars and hope for mistakes from his fellow contenders. It’s the sensible approach but also one that can be frustrating when compared to McIlroy’s former style of play. He once was able to dominate courses in a way that few others can. We saw it as recently as last month, when he played an eight-hole stretch in the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship in 8-under par to turn a tight duel with Xander Schauffele into a rout.

But, McIlroy contends, that is not the best way to win majors.

Recent close calls could understandably cause some to be skeptic of his claim, especially when starting Sunday with a three-shot deficit. Some would say the cautious approach is sensible for a pursuer, but players must proceed carefully at Pinehurst.

As the course has grown firmer throughout the week, we’ve only seen more players play ping-pong shots across the greens, watching putts and chips roll across the putting surfaces and down the swales. Those mishaps often start when a player strays from the center of the green with his approach shot.

McIlroy’s close calls in recent majors also could cause some to question the safer approach. He fell short at the 2022 Open at St. Andrews and last year’s U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club after stringing together par after par in the final round. A more aggressive approach, while potentially leading to more birdies, also can create additional bogeys and additional stress. It is playing against the probabilities.

For McIlroy to avoid a similar fate Sunday, he will need a little fortune on the greens. At both St. Andrews and LACC, he saw putt after putt slide by the hole. He sensibly hit shots to the center of greens and two-putted for pars, but it left him with agonizing results.

At St. Andrews, Cameron Smith passed him with a final-round 64. McIlroy shot 70 to lose by two, hitting all 18 greens and needing 36 putts in a round that saw him make 16 pars and just two birdies. A year later, McIlroy shot an even-par 70 at Los Angeles Country Club to finish a shot behind winner Wyndham Clark, who shot the same score. McIlroy made just one birdie and one bogey, hitting 15 greens that day.

As he approached the dais for his post-round interview, he said to his manager, Sean O’Flaherty, that it felt just like his final round at St. Andrews. The lone bogey was especially costly, coming on the back nine’s only par 5.

He missed the green with his third shot, his ball embedding in the thick rough lining the bunker and setting off a anxious search. McIlroy failed to get up and down after taking free relief. Clark, playing in the group behind him, hit the green with a 3-wood to take a three-shot lead.

“When I do finally win this next major, it’s going to be really, really sweet,” McIlroy said afterward. “I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”

He has another opportunity Sunday.