Rory McIlroy hopes to use the next three weeks to “change the narrative” of his season as he bids to win the FedEx Cup title for a record-extending fourth time.
McIlroy has won twice worldwide this season but is all too aware of letting other chances slip through his fingers, most painfully in the US Open at Pinehurst and at the Olympic Games in Paris.
As a result, the 35-year-old heads into the first play-off event – the FedEx St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind – almost 3,500 points behind Scottie Scheffler, the world number one having won six times on the PGA Tour before securing Olympic gold at Le Golf National.
“I certainly don’t want to sit up here and belittle my achievements at all this year and what I’ve done, but at the same time I expect a certain standard from myself,” McIlroy said.
“I’ve won a couple of times. I’ve had an opportunity to win a few more times than that and haven’t been able to get over the line. So I would have liked to have added a couple more to that win column.
“But as I said, there’s still three tournaments left in this PGA Tour season. I think I’ve actually got eight or nine tournaments left this year, but three on the PGA Tour to turn an okay season into a very good one.
“I think when the bulk of the season has come and gone and you’ve got this opportunity of three weeks to really, I guess, flip the script a little bit or change the narrative and what that season means, I think that’s a motivating factor and part of the reason that I’ve probably played well in the play-offs for the last three years.”
Asked if he needed to do anything differently to get rid of the “nearly man” tag he gave himself after the Olympics, McIlroy added: “I just have to finish off tournaments better. There’s been glimpses where I have done it, like Quail Hollow [at the Wells Fargo Championship], for example. But obviously [not] the US Open, Olympics.
“I feel like this year and maybe the last couple years I’ve just found a way to hit the wrong shot at the wrong time. That might go into preparation and trying to practice a little more under pressure at home.
“You go through these things in golf and you go through these little challenges and you just have to try to figure out a way to get through it and my challenge right now is that. It’s really good but not quite good enough to take home the silverware. It’s just something I’m having to work through.”
The Lowdowns
FedEx St Jude Championship
Purse: $20,000,000
Where: Memphis, Tennessee
The course: TPC Southwind is part of the tournament players club network operated by the PGA Tour and first hosted a PGA Tour tournament in 1989. Benefiting from title sponsor of the PGA Tour FedEx being based in the city, it has hosted World Golf Championships or FedEx Cup playoffs since 2019. With 94 bunkers and 10 water hazards, it can be a tricky test if the fairways and greens are playing firm in the harsh Memphis summer heat.
The field: A packed line-up of all the best players on the PGA Tour as the FedEx Cup playoffs get under way. World number one Scottie Scheffler is going for an amazing eighth victory of the year, while two-time Major champion Xander Schauffele will look to win to challenge for Player of the Year honours. Last year, Rory McIlroy was one shot away from victory and will fancy his chances this week.
Quote-Unquote: “It was bad. I don’t want to get back to bad into my old habits that I’ve been trying to get out of in these last two or three months” - Xander Schauffele reflecting on his poor final round at the Olympics that saw him drop out of medal contention
Irish in the field: Shane Lowry is playing with Sunjae Im at 3.25pm Irish time; Rory McIlroy is playing with Collin Morikawa at 3.45pm; Seamus Power is playing with Brendan Todd at 4.05pm.
Betting: Scheffler 7-2, Schauffele 7-1, McIlroy 17-2, Collin Morikawa 14-1
On TV: Sky Sports Golf from 5pm
Women’s Scottish Open
Purse: $2,000,000
Where: Troon, Scotland
The course: Dundonald Links. It is the third time the tournament has been held here and the course also hosted the 2017 men’s edition of the event, and hosts an Open Championship final qualifying stage. Watch out for the sixth hole, reminiscent to the Postage Stamp and with windmills in views, and the 13th hole, which runs along a railway.
The field: No world number one Nelly Korda but Olympic champion Lydia Ko will play, as will stars like Lilia Vu, Celine Boutier and Rose Zhang.
Quote-Unquote: “It’s in my backpack. I haven’t gone in the case yet” - Lydia Ko’s busy schedule has meant she has not had time to frame her Olympic gold medal yet
Irish in the field: Leona Maguire is playing with Jenny Shin and Alison Lee at 7.21am; Stephanie Meadow is playing with Céline Herbin and Mary Liu at 2.11pm.
Betting: Ayaka Furue 9-1, Vu 14-1, Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim, Zhang 18-1
On TV: Sky Sports Mix from 3pm
Czech Masters
Purse: $2,500,000
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
The course: PGA National Oaks Prague. A par 72, 7,592-yard course for the pros, it opened in 2020, the only PGA National licensed golf course in the country. It is a new venue for the tournament, previously the Albatross Club hosted the event.
The field: Tom McKibbin is one of the favourites for a tournament that includes recent DP World Tour winner Ewen Ferguson and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
Quote-Unquote: “I think I learned I can hold my own under the biggest pressure and against the best players and I felt comfortable” - Dan Brown on his experience contending the Open in Troon
Irish in the field: Gary Hurley is playing with Louis Klein and Oliver Bekker at 8.20am; Tom McKibbin is playing with Danny Willett and Sami Valimaki at 12pm.
Betting: McKibbin 16-1, Wiesberger 20-1, Ryo Hisatune, Richard Mansell 22-1.
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event from 12pm.
