Rory McIlroy returns to action this week, with the Northern Irishman the biggest name in the field at the RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto.
Plenty of eyes will be on Rory McIlroy at the RBC Canadian Open. The 36-year-old has not played since the PGA Championship, and seemed to surprise Jack Nicklaus with his decision to skip The Memorial Tournament.
Of course, it has been a turbulent year for McIlroy. He flew out of the blocks in the opening months of the season, as he won at Pebble Beach, The Players Championship and, most notably, The Masters.
It felt as though everything was focused on what McIlroy would do at Augusta National, as he got yet another shot at completing the career grand slam. It had been nearly 11 years since his most recent major, while he had rarely contended at The Masters throughout his career.
Rory McIlroy suggests what he has found tough since winning The Masters
So it was no surprise that you could almost see the burden lifted from McIlroy’s shoulders as he holed the putt to beat Justin Rose in a playoff.
Many assumed the win may unlock McIlroy’s potential once again and see him win several more majors. However, he has been much less impressive on the course in the weeks since. He looked rusty at both the Zurich Classic and the Truist Championship.
And his hopes of winning the PGA Championship were largely over on day one at Quail Hollow.
McIlroy was asked ahead of the Canadian Open what goals he now has with the career grand slam achieved. And the five-time major champion did note that motivation has taken a hit since The Masters.
“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m chasing anything. I would certainly say that the last few weeks I’ve had a couple weeks off, and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is maybe a little tougher than it used to be,” he said.
“You have this event in your life that you’ve worked towards and it happens, sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again.
“I think the last two weeks have been good for me just as a reset, just to sort of figure out where I’m at in my own head, what I want to do, where I want to play. Yeah, reset some goals.
“I thought it was a good time to reset some goals. I’ve had a pretty good first half of the season, and I want to have a good second half of the season now, too.”
How Rory McIlroy has performed at the Canadian Open during his career
On paper, there is plenty of reason to have high hopes for McIlroy this week. He has a phenomenal record in the Canadian Open, having won the tournament in two of his four appearances in the event.
Meanwhile, his worst finish is a tie for ninth, which came in 2023 as Nick Taylor managed to win his national open.
However, he has not played at TPC Toronto. So previous results may not mean a great deal.
But with the US Open rapidly emerging on the horizon, McIlroy will surely be desperate to find some form again this week.
He definitely has unfinished business for when he heads to Oakmont.
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