PGA Championship: How can Rory McIlroy return to form and end long major drought with win at Oak Hill? | Golf News

When Rory McIlroy made a par in the dark to secure the 2014 PGA Championship, it would have been inconceivable to think that his major tally would remain the same nearly nine years on.

McIlroy’s one-shot victory at Valhalla that year was his third consecutive win on the PGA Tour and a second major in as many months, following on from his success at The Open, although he has been unable to add to his four major titles since that second lifting of the Wanamaker Trophy.

The Northern Irishman has posted a staggering 17 top-10s in majors since that victory, finishing no worse than eighth in any of the four last season, but has still been unable to complete the elusive Grand Slam at The Masters or find an eagerly-anticipated fifth major title.

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The second major of the year sees the PGA Championship return to Oak Hill Country Club, with coverage of all four rounds live on Sky Sports Golf

McIlroy remains one of the pre-tournament favourites heading into the second men’s major of the year, exclusively live on Sky Sports, despite arriving at Oak Hill in a noticeable slump in form after an eventful period on and off the golf course.

How has McIlroy performed so far in 2023?

McIlroy started the year as world No 1 after topping the season-long standings on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in 2022, with little indication of any impending drop in results when he began the campaign with victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

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Highlights from the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club.

The 33-year-old lost top spot when Scottie Scheffler defended his WM Phoenix Open title and fell further behind when Jon Rahm won the Genesis Invitational a week later, with McIlroy finishing outside of the top-25 in both events and marking the start in a shift in results.

McIlroy had struggled with a replacement driver at Riviera and then switched putters after an early exit at The Players, although showed noticeable improvements in both areas during his run to the semi-finals at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

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Simon Holmes takes an in-depth look into what’s causing Rory Mcilroy’s tee troubles.

Tiger Woods said a victory at Augusta National was “definitely” in McIlroy’s future ahead of his latest Grand Slam attempt at The Masters, only for him to miss the cut for the second time in three years after rounds of 72 and 77.

McIlroy skipped the RBC Heritage a week later and failed to force his way into contention on his return at the Wells Fargo Championship, an event he has enjoyed more success at than any other on the PGA Tour, with his run of results seeing him fall further behind the world’s top two.

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Rory McIlroy says its been a ‘pretty taxing twelve months mentally’ after missing the RBC Heritage ahead of his return to action at the Wells Fargo Championship

How much have off-course distractions hampered McIlroy?

McIlroy has served as an unofficial spokesperson for the PGA Tour and DP World Tour throughout golf’s ongoing civil war with LIV over the past year, although the extra media attention initially didn’t impact his results.

McIlroy won the RBC Canadian Open the week the LIV Golf Invitational Series launched last June, before he described the PGA Tour as the “greatest place in the world” after becoming a three-time winner of the FedExCup later that summer.

He has served on the PGA Tour’s board throughout a turbulent period for the sport, attending lengthy meetings and also having to promote the benefits of the 2024 schedule changes to its membership, with McIlroy constantly being asked about LIV in pre-tournament press conferences.

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Rich Beem shares his thoughts on why Rory McIlroy withdrew from the RBC Heritage.

McIlroy said he was ready to get back ‘being purely a golfer’ after his missed cut at The Players, then sacrificed $3m of his PIP bonus for deciding to miss the RBC Heritage due to “needing a break” following his missed cut at The Masters.

Two-time US Open champion Curtis Strange said about McIlroy’s withdrawal: “As much as you might love Harbour Town, you withdraw because you’ve got to get yourself together and you know you’re starting to go down a rabbit hole that you don’t want to go very far down, because it’s tough to climb back out.

“I think it [LIV distractions] has taken a lot away from his golf, and I think it’s fatigued him a bit. When you leave this game just a little bit focus-wise, it will affect you. I think he said after the Masters, he’s looking forward to just getting back to playing golf, and hopefully that’s the case.”

Could Oak Hill be where McIlroy ends major drought?

McIlroy was defending champion the last time the PGA Championship was played at Oak Hill in 2013 and finished tied-eighth, but has since become a member at the course as his wife Erica grew up in the Rochester area.

Rory McIlroy would break the longest gap in history between a fourth and fifth major title, should he win the PGA Championship

The East Course has been significantly renovated since then to better reflect the original Donald Ross design, with all of the greens and bunkers rebuilt and hundreds of trees removed, while McIlroy has been left pleased with the changes made.

“I think Andrew Green’s done a really good job,” he said. “I think the renovation has hopefully restored the East Course back to its former glory.

“From the last time I was there, or we were all there (in 2013), my connection to Rochester’s got a lot stronger. I’m excited to go and play a major championship in what feels almost like a second home to me.”

Asked if the ‘local’ knowledge could work to his advantage, former major champion Strange added: “Oh, I think you look for anything. The entire family will be there in more a comfortable atmosphere. It certainly won’t hurt him, put it that way.”

Is there less pressure on McIlroy than normal?

Masters champion Rahm and world No 2 Scheffler are the overwhelming pre-tournament favourites this week on the outskirts of Rochester, with six victories between them already in 2023, although Sky Sports’ Jamie Spence backs McIlroy to contend alongside the dominant pair.

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Jon Rahm is the 2023 Masters champion! Watch his best moments from the final round.

“He has got to forget what happened at Augusta, as that was obviously a tough pill to swallow,” Spence told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. “I think the fact that the played at Quail Hollow and made the cut will have got rid of a bit of rust.

“I think we’ll see a different Rory McIlroy this week and I’d be surprised if he was not within three or four of the lead, or if not in the lead, going into the last round. I think he’ll have a good week.

“When you go to somewhere you have an affinity for you want to do well. The pressure is off to some extent, isn’t it? I think we’re expecting other players to perform better than him maybe, so that’s maybe a little bit of pressure off for McIlroy.”

Watch the 105th PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf.