Rory McIlroy: Open 2014 preparation

Rory McIlroy talks through his preparation for the 2014 Open Championship

Golf might be a truly individual sport but when one player does something remarkable, well, you can expect more than a few to copy his recipe for success.

Last year Phil Mickelson won back-to-back tournaments in Scotland – the Scottish Open and then our Open Championship.

In his post Claret Jug winning press conference he spoke of the confidence he brought from Castle Stuart to Muirfield and how that played a key role in his win.

Fast-forward 12 months and among the field at Royal Aberdeen for this year’s Scottish Open is world number eight, Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman has added this tournament to his schedule in a bid to arrive at Hoylake links sharp and ready to compete.

Returning to the UK from his home in Florida, McIlroy has already played this year’s Open venue in practice.

Could this new approach transform what has been, up to this point, a relatively disappointing links record?

On the Monday of Scottish Open week Rory McIlroy visited Archerfield in East Lothian to open Nike’s Performance Fitting Centre.

Here’s what he told the assembled media about what it means to play in the Open and how he’s prepared for this year’s Championship.