Rory McIlroy has endured a really challenging week at the PGA Championship so far.
Quail Hollow is a course that McIlroy has absolutely dominated in the past, with four victories at the highly-regarded track in Charlotte, North Carolina.
However, the Northern Irishman has failed to get out of first gear during the first three rounds of the PGA Championship.
McIlroy has let himself down at the PGA Championship, after refusing to speak to the media after his opening three rounds.
He currently sits at two-over-par for the tournament, and is well down the leaderboard in a tie for 49th place.
McIlroy was forced to change drivers before the start of the PGA Championship, after his club was deemed to be non-conforming by the USGA.
And he never really recovered from that moment onwards.
However, some of his problems this week are quite simply of his own making.
Rory McIlroy proven wrong after bizarre statement before the start of the PGA Championship
McIlroy seemed to be in a restless mood before the tournament began.
He certainly wasn’t his usual sprightly self during the build-up to the second major of the year.
And one thing he said in particular during his press-conference on Wednesday struck me as rather odd.
McIlroy suggested that the setup at Quail Hollow was no different really to when the PGA Tour event is held there.
He said, “I thought it was going to feel different just because it was a major championship, and I got out on the course yesterday, and it felt no different than last year at the Wells Fargo.
“The rough is maybe a little juicier.“
McIlroy must be regretting those remarks now, because the golf course is clearly playing a lot harder than it usually does.
McIlroy well wide of the mark with Quail Hollow comments
The Northern Irishman has brought Quail Hollow to his knees in the past, with four wins to his name, and a stroke average of 69.48.
That has all changed at the PGA Championship this week though.
The greens are incredibly firm and the rough is thick, gnarly and juicy after the rain that hammered down on Charlotte earlier this week.
McIlroy was perhaps a little complacent heading into the tournament this week.
And if he was, that is a dangerous mindset to be in. Has he lost his motivation to win? Only time will tell in that regard.
But something has definitely not been quite right with him at Quail Hollow this week.
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