Rory McIlroy is intent on becoming the most successful European golfer in history as he revealed he feels as close as ever to claiming an elusive fifth Major Championship at the U.S. Open.
Since winning the US PGA Championship in 2014, the Northern Irishman has finished in the top ten at golf’s four elite championships on twenty occasions, including at last year’s U.S. Open when he finished runner-up to Wyndham Clark at Los Angeles Country Club.
That was his fifth such top ten performance in the event and with that in mind he is hopeful he can surpass the achievements of European greats Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo, who won five and six Majors respectively.
“I've always said I still feel like being the most successful European in the game is within my reach,” he said at his pre-tournament press conference.
“I've got obviously Seve and Nick Faldo to pass there in terms of major wins. I'm really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved, whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors.
“Obviously getting my hands on a fifth major has taken quite a while, but I'm more confident than ever that I'm right there, that I'm as close as I've ever been."
His form in recent years at the U.S. Open offers encouragement for this latest tilt at ending his near ten-year wait for a victory at one of golf’s elite events.
Asked what has enabled him to produce such consistent performances in this championship, he said: “I would say embracing the difficult conditions, embracing the style of golf needed to contend at a US Open, embracing patience.
“Honestly, embracing what I would have called “boring” back in the day.
“Explosiveness isn’t going to win a US Open. It’s more methodically building your score over the course of four days and being okay with that. It’s more of a reframing of a mindset than anything else.”
So far this year, McIlroy has made history by becoming the first four-time winner of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour and added two further pieces of silverware on the PGA TOUR.
The World Number Three finished in a tie for 23rd the last time Pinehurst played host to the U.S. Open in 2014, and the 35-year-old believes all aspects of his game are in good shape after three consecutive top 15 finishes since his victory at the Wells Fargo Championship last month.
While driving is the aspect of his game that most observers of the game will single out, McIlroy is confident in his chances at a course that demands a good short game with the No. 2 course known for its run-offs around the greens.
“When you excel, especially at one part of the game, there's other parts of the game that get overlooked a little bit.
“I feel like I've turned myself into a pretty proficient player around the greens. I've always been a pretty good chipper of the golf ball. Bunker play has been solid for most of my career.
“I feel like I've turned myself into a really good putter over the past sort of four or five years. But yeah, the driving is what people are interested in when they watch me hit a golf ball. That's fine. But it takes more than driving a golf ball to win the amount of tournaments that I have.”
McIlroy will play alongside two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and last month’s US PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele in a marquee grouping of the top three players in the world.
