Rory McIlroy has revealed what he’s noticed about the rough at Hamilton Golf and Country Club ahead of the Canadian Open this week.
The Northern Irishman is looking for a hat trick of Canadian Open titles after claiming victory in 2019 and 2022.
McIlroy has tasted victory in Hamilton previously and will no doubt be in a confident mood ahead of this week’s event.
Not long after the 2019 competition, Hamilton G&CC underwent an $8.5million renovation – and McIlroy has now shared his opinion on the changes he’s noticed.
Rory McIlroy shares what changes he’s noticed at Hamilton Golf and Country Club
McIlroy, as always, is more than happy to offer plenty of insight in his press conferences, and his chat with the media on Wednesday was no different.
The Northern Irishman initially claimed some of the alterations have made the course trickier.
He explained: “I think some greens are a lot slopey (er). A lot of the green complexes have more run-offs, so even though the greens are quite big, they play a little bit smaller than they actually are. I think the penalties for missing are a little more penal.”
McIlroy also highlighted the length of the rough compared to previous years.
“You’ve got the longer rough around the bunkers,” he added. “The rough is very, very thick this week, and then you miss the green slightly with those very fast run-offs; the ball can run 20, 30 yards off the green, and then it can be tough to get it up and down from those sort of places. I think a bit more precision is needed with this redesign.”
The perfect U.S. Open preparation for Rory McIlroy
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With precision required at Hamilton G&CC, the Canadian Open could be the ideal preparation for the U.S. Open at the notoriously tricky Pinehurst No.2.
McIlroy is in search of his first major championship in ten years and will need to rely on his pinpoint approach play in North Carolina.
Pinehurst is known for punishing off-line approach shots and will reward those who can find the putting surface regularly.
For McIlroy, looking to hone his iron play this week could stand him in good stead heading into the year’s third major championship.
The 35-year-old knows better than anyone that he needs to add another major to his resume – it’s been far too long.
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