There are so many huge stories this year entering the PGA Championship, perhaps as many as there have ever been in the history of this great championship. But there is one that is clearly at the top.
Rory McIlroy.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler won more recently than McIlroy and is coming off a historic season where he captured nine different titles, including a second major championship and an Olympic gold medal. He’s one of the aforementioned big stories, of course, as is Xander Schauffele, the defending champion from Valhalla last year who birdied the 72nd hole to capture the Wanamaker Trophy for his first major title.
But McIlroy, the No. 2 ranked player in the world, he’s THE story. All eyes will be on him this week at Quail Hollow Club, a place where he feels mighty cozy.
Quick recap. McIlroy has won three times on the PGA TOUR this year, including The Players Championship and the Masters, the two biggest tournaments of the year to date. Sepp Straka, with his victory last week outside Philadelphia, is the only other player to win multiple times this year.
But McIlroy’s victory last month at Augusta National was historic for so many reasons – it was his first major in 11 years, it was his first Masters and it was the final piece he needed to collect the career Grand Slam, which only five other men in golf history have accomplished. Tiger Woods (2000) was the last to claim the feat and it was McIlroy’s 11th time trying. So, yes, it’s a huge deal.
That’s all impressive enough but add that McIlroy has won four times at Quail Hollow over the past 15 years and it’s shaping up to be an interesting week.
“I'm obviously going to feel more comfortable and a lot less pressure, and I'm also going back to a venue that I love,” McIlroy said last week. “It's nothing but positive vibes going in there what happened a few weeks ago and then with my history there and how well I've played at Quail.
“Yeah, it probably will feel a little bit different. I probably won't be quite as on edge as I have been for the last few years when I've been at major championships. I'll probably be a little bit better to be around for my family, and I'll be a little more relaxed. I think overall it will be a good thing.”
That’s the key – more comfortable, less pressure. McIlroy has won 44 times around the world, including the PGA Championship in both 2012 (Kiawah Island) and 2014 (Valhalla). That now, at age 36, he feels like he can play with more of a carefree attitude because of how he’s played the last four months could be a scary proposition for the other 155 men teeing it up alongside him this week in Charlotte.
Here's a reminder of just how well McIlroy has been with every part of his game. In seven events played on the PGA TOUR, he is second in strokes gained/total, second in SG/tee to green, first in SG/off the tee, third in driving distance and sixth in SG/putting. So, yes, to summarize, McIlroy hits the ball far and straight, hits a large percentage of greens and is one of the best putters in the world. All while declaring he’s free of pressure.
“I think I’m in a good place,” he said. “A couple little improvements and little tweaks and I feel like I’m in a really good spot.”
