Rory McIlroy returns to the scene of his sole British Open triumph at Hoylake this week hoping fond memories can help him snap a nine-year major drought, even if they do make him feel old.
McIlroy, 34, seemed destined for double-digit major titles when he swept all before him at the Royal Liverpool course in 2014 and went on to win the PGA Championship less than a month later.
But the Northern Irishman has remained on four majors ever since, despite remaining one of world golf’s brightest stars.
“I’ve had so many close calls since,” said the world number two.
“I’ve had a great nine years and won a lot of tournaments but the big four have eluded me. Hopefully this week that’s something I can change.”
The past two years in particular have brought a series of cases of what might have been for McIlroy.
He has finished in the top 10 at six of the last seven majors.
Twelve months ago, he was in pole position to follow in the legendary footsteps of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods by becoming an Open champion at St Andrews as he shared the lead heading into the final round.
But a cold putter and a stunning eight-under-par final round from Cameron Smith saw the Australian claim the Claret Jug.
It was a similar story at last month’s US Open when the unheralded Wyndham Clark held off McIlroy to win by one shot.
A birdie-birdie finish in blustery conditions to win the Scottish Open last week could prove to be just the confidence boost McIlroy needs heading to Hoylake.
“It’s nice to have the validation. It’s great racking up top fives and top 10s, but it’s much nicer heading away with a trophy on a Sunday afternoon,” added McIlroy.
“It’s a great shot of confidence and helps having something fresh in my memory. If I hopefully find myself in a similar position next week where I have a chance to win with nine holes to go, I can certainly draw on what I did (at the Scottish Open).”
– ‘Keep it simple’ –
McIlroy can also draw on the experience of nine years ago when he produced a dominant wire-to-wire win on the Wirral coast.
“It’s nice to come back and re-familiarize myself with the course,” he added. “It’s nice to come back to a major venue you’ve won on, but it also makes you feel a bit old.”
Despite still being in his prime, McIlroy had assumed the role of elder statesman on the PGA Tour over the last two years.
As the breakaway LIV Golf series lured away some of the game’s biggest names with huge signing bonuses, McIlroy was the PGA Tour’s most outspoken defender.
His claim last week that we would rather retire than join LIV was a reminder of where he stands, but it appears he may now be happier to take a step back from the spotlight.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the sport after the PGA Tour announced a shock partnership with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has bankrolled LIV, McIlroy said last week he was now “apathetic” towards future negotiations.
He canceled his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, opting instead for a series of short television interviews.
“I’m just trying to keep it as simple as possible,” he said. “Forget all the noise, forget everything else and just go out and enjoy myself more than anything else.”
As former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick said earlier this week, almost every other player on tour would be delighted to be playing as McIlroy is right now.
But anything other than lifting the Claret Jug will be judged a disappointment as he aims to prevent his quest for a fifth major extending into a decade.
kca/pb