Rory McIlroy has been practising at Royal Troon Golf Club ahead of the 152nd Open, which gets underway this week.
The world number two will be eager to bounce back from his US Open heartache in the best way possible.
But perhaps Troon is not the ideal place to attempt that, with the course certain to test McIlroy and his fellow stars over the coming days.
Many star names have been practising on the fairways and greens in order to get to grips with the venue, with Rickie Fowler labelling Troon a ‘tale of two nines’.
McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug back in 2014, but the year represents his most recent major, having also won the 2014 PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy names the five toughest holes at Royal Troon after his practice round
His major drought continued at Pinehurst last month, with many ‘people within golf’ reaching out to McIlroy after his US Open collapse.
But he will do his utmost to put those bad memories behind him in Scotland this week, with the Northern Irishman now sharing his thoughts on just how tricky Troon will be.
“It’s a great golf course, one where you really have to make your score on the first few holes,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.
“I mean, in the first seven holes, there are four par fours under 400 yards, and two par fives. So you’ve got wedges in your hands, and another two opportunities to get the ball up close to par five greens.
“So you want to get off to a good start, and then coming in is a different kettle of fish, it’s a beast. Starting even on 10, but obviously 11, 13, 14, 17. I hit a lot of long irons going into those greens today.
“But looking forward to the challenge, it’s a great golf course, and I’m obviously excited to be back here and have another opportunity to try to get that elusive fifth major.”
How will Rory McIlroy deal with the weather at The Open?
Along with the course itself, the weather is certain to play a key role at The Open Championship, and not every golfer will be able to deal with it.
The wind and rain is likely to arrive at some stage throughout the tournament, with McIlroy remembering how the weather played a part the last time Troon hosted The Open.
The four-time major winner finished tied-fifth back in 2016, with McIlroy sharing his thoughts on the competition.
“Yeah even though I finished top five, I felt like I was nowhere near in the golf tournament,” said McIlroy. “The one thing I do remember about last time is that the draw made a huge difference. I didn’t get the right side of the draw and and that was a big disadvantage after two days.
“So hopefully the weather’s a little kinder to us this year, and there’s not as much of a discrepancy between the morning wave and the afternoon waves.”
McIlroy certainly knows which holes he really needs to focus on, with number 11 at Troon deemed one of the ‘scariest in the world’.
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