Charlotte (AFP) – Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that his silent treatment to playing partner Bryson DeChambeau in the final round of the Masters was about his focus on winning, not an insult to his rival. But there will be plenty of eyes watching his manners and focus on Thursday in his next major round when he tees off in a group with the world’s three top-ranked players in the opening round of the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Second-ranked McIlroy, coming off a Masters victory last month to complete a career Grand Slam, joins top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and third-ranked defending champion Xander Schauffele off the 10th tee at 8:22 a.m. (1222 GMT) in Thursday’s feature group. McIlroy, a four-time PGA Tour winner at Quail Hollow including his first tour title in 2010, addressed the final-round Masters silent treatment he gave DeChambeau, who edged him on the 72nd hole for last year’s US Open title when they were not paired together.
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“I don’t know what he was expecting. We’re trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to try to be his best mate out there,” McIlroy said. “Look, everyone approaches the game different ways. I was focused on myself and what I needed to do. That’s really all that it was. It wasn’t anything against him. It’s just I felt that’s what I needed to do to try to get the best out of myself that day.” DeChambeau complained that McIlroy snubbed him on that final day at Augusta, saying then, “He wouldn’t talk to me…Didn’t talk to me once all day.” McIlroy accomplished a life’s dream by capturing the green jacket in a playoff over England’s Justin Rose while DeChambeau fired a 75 and shared fifth.
A huge crowd is expected to follow McIlroy at Quail Hollow as it did on the final day at Augusta National. McIlroy, who captured his fifth major title and snapped a major win drought dating to 2014, has also won the Players Championship and Pebble Beach titles this year. Scheffler, a two-time Masters winner who captured nine titles worldwide last year, won his first crown of the year two weeks ago at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Schauffele, who also won last year’s British Open, missed two months with a rib injury but shared eighth at the Masters.
There’s little difference in how rain-soaked Quail Hollow looks for PGA Tour events and the PGA Championship, McIlroy said. “I thought it was going to feel different just because it was a major championship, and I got out on the golf course and it felt no different than last year,” McIlroy said. “The rough is maybe a little juicier, but fairways are the same cut lines and same visuals. It doesn’t feel that much different.”
– Stepping up and hitting –
McIlroy practiced on the front nine Tuesday and back side Wednesday. “It’s not as if I don’t know this place. I think it’s a matter of just making sure that every part of the game feels in a good spot,” McIlroy said. “Because we all know this golf course so well, it’s not as if you’re going to glean anything new from a strategy perspective. It’s just a matter of stepping up and hitting the golf shots when the gun goes on Thursday.”
Final work included downhill putts to measure green speeds, chip shots from damp rough, and testing bunker sand firmness. “It’s just about refamiliarizing yourself with the greens,” McIlroy said. “We sort of all know where the pin locations are going to be, too, so certain hole locations and hitting chip shots or putts from where you think the ball is going to finish.”
Two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas likes McIlroy’s chances. “He’s the best driver of the ball I’ve ever seen and that’s extremely important here,” Thomas said. “It’s generally pulling out driver and hitting as far and straight as possible, and he’s really good at that.” Two-time major winner Jon Rahm says McIlroy could be set for a big run with the career Slam completed. “I would not be one bit surprised if this lifted a weight off his shoulders that could get him going on another run,” Rahm said.
© 2024 AFP
