McIlroy acknowledges his driving issues on Saturday and a blister but turns it around on a 67 and a reconnaissance trip to Aronimink helps prepare. Also mentions practice rounds on the 18th.
Rory McIlroy believes he has 'straightened out' his wayward driving issues ahead of this week's US PGA Championship while also hitting back at critics who took issue with his Masters preparation.
The Masters champion acknowledged that a tendency to hit left, which troubled him during the Saturday of his title defence at Augusta, continued to plague him at the Truist Championship . A closing round of 67, featuring six birdies and two bogeys, left him at five under par and some 10 shots behind winner Kristoffer Reitan - though he's hopeful that Saturday's practice session has remedied his errant shots.
'I started to hit it left yesterday with everything. That's sort of my bad habit at the minute and I just have to be aware of it,' said the world number two, who has also been dealing with a blister which he maintains won't hinder him next week.
'I was much more aware of it and did a better job of managing it today. I spent a good bit of time on the range last night just trying to straighten it out.
'I think the range session last night was good. I figured out a couple of things, so straightened that out.
'I'm going to go home tonight, which will be nice to spend a night in my own bed and practice at home tomorrow to try to just sort of continue that feel and bring that up to Philadelphia for the rest of the week. ' McIlroy made a reconnaissance trip to Aronimink last week to familiarise himself with the layout. 'It was nice to get an early look at it,' he added.
'It just means that the week of the tournament you're not under pressure to play a lot of holes. 'Historically the practice rounds at the PGA can be excruciatingly long, so it's probably going to just be nine holes Tuesday, nine holes Wednesday. ' McIlroy's preparations for last month's Masters drew criticism from some quarters after he revealed that he'd used his private jet to make daily trips to Austusta to play the course prior to retaining his title.
When asked if last week was his only trip to Aronimink, McIlroy replied: 'No, I lived there for a week. Just played it every day - I think that's allowed,' McIlroy said while smiling.
'No, I went up and back in the same day. ' Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here .
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Rory Mcilroy US PGA Championship Driving Issues Blister Tristur Championship Aronimink Masters Preparation Private Jet Extenuating Circumstances
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