Rory McIlroy will be eager to produce a strong performance at the US Open this week, but the world number three knows it won’t be easy.
The course itself at Pinehurst No. 2 looks certain to trouble even the most experienced of golfers, while the line-up includes some of the game’s top stars.
LIV Golf icon Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the competition, but world number one Scottie Scheffler is among the 156-player field.
The American heads into the competition in stunning form, having just clinched his fifth title of the season.
That arrived at the Memorial Tournament, with Scheffler now in with a fantastic chance of yet another trophy in 2024 at the US Open.
Rory McIlroy shares his thoughts on his putter advice for Scottie Scheffler
One area that the serial winner has, however, struggled with is his putting, with McIlroy saying earlier in the year that he would like to see his fellow professional try a mallet following his issues on the greens.
Speaking after the Genesis Invitational in February, the Northern Irishman explained that his switch from a blade to a mallet resulted in more success on the greens, as per GolfDigest.
And he has now opened up on the advice given to Scheffler, who ranked last in SG/putting among the 51 players to play the weekend at Riviera, having made just three putts outside of 10 feet, as per GolfDigest.
“He tried the Spider last summer for a couple of tournaments but I think the work he has put in with Phil Kenyon as well, I think that’s a big part of it,” McIlroy said in his US Open press conference when asked if he regrets advising Scheffler about the putter change.
“They started to work together after the Fedex Cup last year and I think the work they have been doing has really been paying off.”
Will Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler go head to head at the US Open?
McIlroy and Scheffler could be involved in a tense battle at Pinehurst if things go their way from the opening round.
And the duo will certainly get a good look at each other’s games, having been grouped together for the first round in North Carolina.
Joining them is world number two Xander Schauffele, who will be feeling confident of a positive showing after his PGA Championship success.
Scheffler also has a recent major to his name, having lifted the 2024 Masters trophy, with McIlroy last winning a major all the way back in 2014.
A fifth title has constantly eluded him for the past decade, with Paul McGinley suggesting that the Northern Irishman needs to overcome a mental hurdle in order to win another major.
The US Open really could be won and lost on the greens, with Tiger Woods predicting many players to struggle in that area at Pinehurst.
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