Simon Holmes has revealed how Rory McIlroy managed to leave Adam Scott stunned by what he did on the driving range on Wednesday ahead of The Open Championship.
Rory McIlroy is going to be one of the names to look out for at The Open Championship, with the Northern Irishman looking for his fifth major title while also proving a bit of a point after what happened at the US Open in June.
Of course, some will be concerned about how McIlroy will respond after Pinehurst, with the 35-year-old bogeying three of the last four holes to lose by one to Bryson DeChambeau.
He made a decent return to the game at the Scottish Open, though McIlroy was once again left frustrated with the putter at The Renaissance Club. But it would appear that he is in the mood to take on all comers at Royal Troon.
What Rory McIlroy did on the range on Wednesday ahead of The Open
Speaking on Live at the Range while 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink warmed up, Holmes noted how McIlroy appeared to be determined to put himself on the top of the leaderboard on the practice ground.
“That’s what he’s looking at, our massive monitor. And the players have been really checking that, and what was interesting, we have a long drive up there, and Josh yesterday, around lunch, Scottie Scheffler had something I think at like 332, let’s say that was the number. You could see Rory check that out and there was no way Rory was leaving the range until he’d put one past Scottie Scheffler, and it was 345 carry,” he said.
“And you know what, Adam Scott came on, and you could see Adam Scott, they were like, ‘345, are you kidding?'”
A man on a mission
McIlroy was so impressive off the tee at Pinehurst. He has had times when he has been erratic and struggled to match his unbelievable power with flawless accuracy. However, that was not the case in North Carolina.
In fact, all facets of his game appeared to be in a good place. It is easily forgotten how well McIlroy putted for 69 holes at the US Open before the pressure seemed to get to him.
Ultimately, if he can replicate that performance around Royal Troon, the Northern Irishman will undoubtedly find himself in contention. And, judging by his desire to beat Scheffler’s drive, he will not allow himself to stumble at the final hurdle this time around.
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