LOS ANGELES — Rory McIlroy isn’t sure why, but for whatever reason he’s been going down YouTube rabbit holes of some of his past wins, like the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
“I actually couldn’t believe how many irons and 3-woods and stuff I was hitting off the tee,” explained McIlroy on Friday after his second round of the 2023 US Open. “It set something off in my mind about, you know how to do this. You know how to play smart. You don’t have to hit the driver all the time. Yes, it’s a big weapon, it’s a big advantage. But I keep saying I’ve got more weapons in my arsenal I feel now than I did back then, so I may as well use them and play to them.”
It’s said that patience is a virtue, but it’s also been a 15th club in the bag for the four-time major champion.
“I’ve gone through periods over the last few years where I haven’t been patient enough and I’ve taken on too much,” McIlroy continued. “But I think we’ve had some tests recently where you have to display patience, and hopefully those few experiences recently will help me this weekend.”
After 36 holes at the famed Los Angeles Country Club, McIlroy is back in contention once again at 8 under after a second-round 3-under 67. The 34-year-old got off to a hot start on Thursday, but a Friday morning tee time off the back was less welcoming. McIlroy bogeyed two of his first four holes on Nos. 11 and 13, with his lone birdie of his opening nine sandwiched in the middle at the par-4 12th. Another bogey at No. 17 saw McIlroy make the turn to the front at 2 over. The Northern Irishman got back on the birdie train immediately with circles on the scorecard at Nos. 1 and 3 before he added his final bogey of the round at No. 4. From there McIlroy birdied four of his last five holes to shoot 30 on the front for the second consecutive round.
“Yeah, obviously at least for me, there’s quite a scoring discrepancy from the front nine to the back nine. The front nine gives you some scoring opportunities and some wedges in your hand, a couple of par 5s. Sixth hole,” said McIlroy. “Yeah, the back nine is just a lot tougher. You’ve got a lot of — those last three holes, 16, 17, 18, are playing tough even if it’s pretty benign conditions out there. It feels like a sort of golf course where you try to make your score on the front and then try to hang on on the back.”
Like most of the 156 players in the field this week, McIlroy was surprised to see the low scores of Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler, who each shot 8-under 62s on Thursday to set a record for lowest rounds in US Open history. The scoring average of 71.38 was the lowest ever in a US Open first round.
“I didn’t see the scores being as low as they are. I think the overcast conditions yesterday combined with that little bit of rain in the morning, I think the course just never got firm at all,” said McIlory. “The conditions now, it’s a little brighter, sunnier, a little bit of breeze. It’s got the potential to get a little firmer and faster over the next couple days, which will make the scores go up a little bit.”
“We’ll see what it’s like at the end of the week. It’s still early in the week.”
McIlroy has had his fair share of close calls over the last year, especially at majors. In 2022 he finished runner-up at the Masters, eighth at the PGA Championship, T-5 at the US Open and third at the British Open. After a missed cut at the Masters, McIlroy was in contention at the PGA but finished T-7.
“No one wants me to win another major more than I do. The desire is obviously there,” said McIlroy. “I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years or whatever it is, and I keep coming back. I feel like I’ve shown a lot of resilience in my career, a lot of ups and downs, and I keep coming back. And whether that means that I get rewarded or I get punched in the gut or whatever it is, I’ll always keep coming back.”
More 2023 US Open!
2023 US Open: Wyndham Clark emerging as serious contender thanks to his ‘stealth’ weapon
Five things to know about 2023 US Open contender Wyndham Clark
Phone rooms, no tipping and slacks ‘of a tailored nature’: Los Angeles Country Club’s protocols are no joke
Story originally appeared on GolfWeek