Rory McIlroy is hoping to finally win that fifth major this week as he heads to Pinehurst to compete in the US Open.
McIlroy has not won a major since 2014 and with each passing year, the pressure seems to grow and grow for the Northern Irishman.
Luckily, barring a bit of a dismal final round at The Memorial this weekend, McIlroy’s game appears to be in good shape ahead of Thursday.
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He won The Zurich and Wells Fargo in consecutive weeks a month or so ago, before finishing 12th at the PGA and fourth at the Canadian Open.
Indeed, he still finished 15th at The Memorial, despite his bad final round.
And discussing McIlroy’s potential to win at Pinehurst this week, Paul McGinley has suggested that there’s one thing preventing that fifth major being won.
Paul McGinley thinks he knows why Rory McIlroy isn’t winning the majors anymore
Speaking to The Telegraph about McIlroy’s chances of winning at Pinehurst, McGinley believes the game is there, albeit the mental side maybe not.
“I think Rory’s better equipped than he’s ever been before. His chipping is fantastic. He’ll have an advantage around Pinehurst because of that ability,” McGinley said.
“I’ve said it many times – he’s a better golfer now than he was before. But, there’s no doubt, there’s a mental hurdle he has to jump to get over the line in majors again. That’s what is holding him back. The rest is all there.
“I don’t want to give the impression that Rory is mentally weak, he’s far from it. You look at his career in the last 10 years it’s phenomenal, it’s unmatched. Nobody comes close. But there is an element of doubt that’s crept in.
“He knows that. We all know it… And it’s not that he can’t do it, it’s not that he lacks guile, that he lacks heart, that he lacks the game. But that element of doubt has risen every year and it’s been validated by not getting over the line. It’s only a natural human emotion.”
McIlroy just needs to play golf
On his day, he’s the best player in the world. And that includes Scottie Scheffler at the moment.
Rory McIlroy is good enough to see off any golfer in the world and he’s good enough to win any tournament as well, including the majors.
Yes, there is a cloud over him every time we head into a major tournament and while McIlroy will feel that pressure, he has to just play golf and let business take care of itself.
He is more than capable of winning around Pinehurst. As McGinley says, he has the short-game to do so and if he can stay on the fairways, he’s in with a real shout.
Ultimately, once McIlroy gets over the line for number five the shackles might be off and from here, six and seven might end up following quickly.
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