From Gambling In Golf, A Condensed Major Season And The 'Double-Edged Sword' Of A Firm And Fast Royal Birkdale - 5 Things Rory McIlroy Discussed In His 2026 Open Press Conference

As ever, all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy as he begins his quest for a second Open win and a seventh Major title at Royal Birkdale this week.

The Northern Irishman has enjoyed another stellar campaign so far, with his second successive Masters victory in April the obvious highlight. And he has a chance to cap off another superb men’s Major season in Southport in the coming days.

McIlroy’s sole Open win came all the way back in 2014 at a rather green and damp Royal Liverpool. He has come close to claiming a second Claret Jug since, but he has yet to make it happen.

Time is still on his side to further enhance his legacy in the game’s oldest championship, so how is he feeling ahead of the challenge that awaits at Birkdale? And what are his thoughts on other hot topics in the game at the moment?

Here are five things we learned from his Open press conference...

He's Not 'So Bad At Golf'

McIlroy went viral on Sunday at the Scottish Open after he was caught on camera scolding himself for an errant iron shot.

“I'm so bad at golf,” McIlroy said to himself.

He later explained how practising in left-to-right winds on the range at the Renaissance Club had put his swing out of sync, so, two days on, has he managed to address the gremlins?

“Depends what hour of the day you get me,” McIlroy said. “It's funny, I felt really good the first two days in Scotland and then felt like my game just sort of deteriorated as the week went on. Even though I shot a good score on Sunday, it didn't feel very good.

“I've done a good bit of work the past couple days getting the TrackMan out, seeing what my numbers are, and just trying to match up the feels of my swing with what I'm seeing.

“Also, I played 30 holes on Sunday. I felt a little bit tired yesterday, so I didn't make it on the course, but that allowed me a bit more time to hit some balls and dig into the swing a little bit. Felt good on the range. Felt good out on the course today. Definitely trending in the right direction.”

Has Weather Lessened Challenge?

Much has been made of the Open weather forecast in the build-up this week. Birkdale is baked out, ready to present the best players in the world with the type of firm and fast challenge that has become such a modern-day rarity.

But has it actually made the course easier?

“I think it's a double-edged sword,” McIlroy continued.

“I think all this dry weather and sun and a little bit of wind is obviously great for the course in one way, but when I was here a couple weeks ago, the rough was a lot more penal than it's going to be this week. It's definitely burnt out a lot.

“The big thing, especially off the tee here, is the fairway bunkers and avoiding those. You might see some guys being more aggressive off the tee, taking driver, trying to take the fairway bunkers out of play.

"Okay, it might be in the rough, but it's not that penal, so you get a wedge in your hand and you can figure it out from there.”

McIlroy Has Say On Fan Behaviour

Ahead of this year’s tournament, and amid a growing trend of unruly fan behavior, The R&A has put a new spectator code of conduct into play for the crowds this week.

It involves respecting the players, the course and enjoying the championship responsibly.

Gambling has been blamed for most of the abuse that players receive online and on-site - with Matt Fitzpatrick speaking out on fan behavior in regards to gambling - but McIlroy thinks the issue is being blown out of proportion.

“We've had gambling over here for forever, and I would say the crowd behaviour has been pretty good for the most part. Obviously it's a newer thing in the United States. Yeah, you could see how people that have a bet could… it's a very easy game to influence. The crowd aren't far away from you.

“I feel like certain things have happened to me over the years where it's definitely been because of that, but it's very rare, I would say.

"But certainly it's a thing that we've definitely talked about when I was on the board of the PGA Tour, like whenever gambling or sports betting in the United States was coming into golf in a big way, it was something we talked about and how do we place it to make sure the integrity of the competition isn't jeopardized by letting this stuff happen.

“I feel like it's policed pretty well. In every crowd of thousands of people, you're going to have your few bad eggs here and there, but for the most part, I think golf crowds are pretty respectful.”

Course Changes An Overall Positive

Many holes at Birkdale have been revamped for this year’s Open. (For those who haven’t yet seen them, the flyover video comparing it in 2017 to now is well worth a watch.)

Some of them are quite extreme, with greens raised to create dramatic run-offs and a brutish new 241-yard par 3 15th sure to cause some chaos. But McIlroy thinks they will provide a brilliant experience for those watching at home and at the venue.

“I think most of the changes are very good,” McIlroy added. “I really like the 5th hole. I like the change to the 7th. Some of the greens are maybe a little unnatural with the run-offs and sort of what they've tried to do with the mounding.

“But it creates a good challenge, and it creates options for if you do miss the green, whether it's a putter, a bump-and-run, some guys might choose lob wedge, and I think what we all know, even going back to Shinnecock a few weeks ago, when you give professional golfers options and you can create a little bit of doubt in their minds in terms of what shot to play, that's when things start to get fun, especially for the viewer.

“Not so much for us but... that to me is the sign of a good championship test.”

The Major Season Is Too Short

Blink and you’ll miss it.

That’s how the men’s Major season feels. Not long ago McIlroy was slipping on the Green Jacket for the second year in a row and now we’re just days away from The Open.

On Sunday evening, we will have to wait almost nine months for the next men’s Major, and McIlroy thinks it has become too condensed.

He said: “I guess I see pros and cons in both. I'd like to see the Major season spread out a little bit longer. The Masters is always going to have the build-up, but I think then the PGA [Championship] into the US Open, US Open into here, it just seems like it's very, very quick.

“From a player perspective, if you get on a bit of a run, it's nice to be sort of playing well and go from one straight into the next.

“But for the sport as a whole and for, I guess, the general interest in the game, obviously I can see the positives in that Major season being stretched out a little bit longer.”