Rory McIlroy has confessed that he’s become less of a “risk taker” on the golf course in recent years, as he continues his decade-long quest for another major championship victory.
The Northern Irish golfing sensation last tasted success at this level with his 2014 PGA Championship win at Valhalla, marking his fourth major triumph. His other victories include the 2011 US Open, 2012 PGA Championship, and 2014 Open Championship, all achieved before he turned 25.
Only golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods had secured four majors by that age, placing McIlroy among the sport’s elite. However, the former world No.1’s drought in major championships since then is well-known, with the star narrowly missing out on ending his dry spell earlier this year at the US Open.
He held a two-stroke lead with just four holes remaining at Pinehurst Resort but faltered, bogeying three of the final four holes. This slip-up allowed Bryson DeChambeau to seize the opportunity and secure his second career victory at the championship.
McIlroy has now shed light on how his approach to the game has evolved over the years, providing some insight into why he hasn’t been able to clinch another major victory in the past decade. Speaking to Normal Sport, he revealed: “I’m not as much as a risk taker in my profession, like in golf, as I used to be.”
McIlroy has candidly expressed how his quest for consistency may have been a double-edged sword in his career, saying: “I think in some way, that’s helped me because I’ve become a lot more consistent player. But maybe in other ways, it’s held me back over the last couple of years. Like the way my final days have gone, I’ll go out and shoot 70 or 69 and play a pretty solid round of golf, but it’s not enough to win.”
Amid the controversy surrounding the new LIV Golf tour, Rory McIlroy has taken a step back from making bold statements, reflecting on the situation with a more reserved tone: “Sometimes you feel that responsibility to try to give a good answer.
“And sometimes you can come up with that one, but there’s other times where you can’t. I felt like there was a point over the last couple of years where people were looking forward more to my press conferences than they were to my golf. I was like, that’s not where I want to be.”
The golf superstar added: “Because when you’re asked so many questions, especially so many questions around the same subject that has been going on in golf for the last three years, I feel pressure to give a thoughtful answer, but in a different way all the time.
“You keep saying the same thing over and over and over. It starts to sound like a broken record. So I sometimes feel pressure to find an answer that is still thoughtful but is a little different.”
