Why A More 'Complete' Rory McIlroy Can Finally End His Major Drought In 2023
Paul McGinley outlines technical and mental improvements as reasons Rory McIlroy can end his eight-year Major wait
Rory McIlroy has had some year on and off the course and it’s a combination of both technical and psychological improvements that can lead to him finally ending his Major drought in 2023.
It’s been eight long years since McIlroy won the last of his four Major titles, but he showed incredible consistency this year when finishing in the top eight of all four Majors.
There was huge disappointment, of course, as he led the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews only to be beaten in the end by a flying finish from Cameron Smith.
McIlroy had a late flying finish of his own at the Masters to nab second behind runaway winner Scottie Scheffler, and the Northern Irishman is expected to be a Major contender again next year.
"He is a hell of a player," said European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. "I am sure he is disappointed he has not won a major this year. But it would be a surprise if he did not have great opportunities again next year."
Rory Mcilroy on becoming the DP World Tour No.1 for the fourth time 💬#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/jkBA7udhGcNovember 20, 2022
McIlroy will go into the 2023 Majors as a big favourite after climbing to world number one and finishing top of the money lists on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
The 33-year-old banked over $38m as he won the Race To Dubai in Europe for a fourth time to go along with his third FedEx Cup success in the United States, and he himself says he is now the “most complete” golfer he’s been in his career.
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He won more money than Dustin Johnson did from LIV Golf, which will have gone down very well with McIlroy as one of the big critics of Greg Norman’s operation.
And his new position as almost the leader and spokesman for the PGA Tour could also help his game, according to Paul McGinley, who credits McIlroy’s psychologist Bob Rotella for helping him turn the emotion of that role into a catalyst for improvement on the course.
“Rory’s been frontline in all the stuff off the course and Rotella has channelled that in a very positive way,” McGinley told The Times. “Michael Jordan found things he used as fuel and Rotella and McIlroy have used all that energy in a positive way too. All these things collided.”
The mental toughness McIlroy seems to have gained from the LIV Golf battles can only work alongside actual technical improvements though, especially on the greens where Brad Faxon seems to have sorted his putting out – starting with that finish at Augusta.
“The Masters was validation,” says McGinley. “Whether you’ve done something with your swing or psychologically, you need the results to validate what you are doing.
“He got that. It’s not a given that this will continue, and he will still have ups and downs, but he seems to have figured out a lot about himself.”
One thing McIlroy will have to deal with more than most is the attention that will be centred on him in the Majors – especially at the Masters where he goes in another search of that Green Jacket to complete the grand slam.
He should contend at Augusta again, but another positive for McIlroy could be in the venue for The Open in 2023, which returns to Hoylake when he captured the Claret Jug in 2014 before also going on to win the following USPGA Championship.
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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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