US Open course ‘felt impossible’ last week – McIlroy

Masters champion Rory McIlroy says this week’s US Open venue Oakmont “felt impossible” as recently as last week.

The world number two revealed he shot 81 during a practice round last Monday, although he added that the following day he found it not quite as fearsome a challenge.

The Northern Irishman missed the cut when the demanding Pittsburgh layout last staged the US Open in 2016, before its redesign in 2023.

And while he said he tried to wipe that week from his memory, he was handed a stark reminder of Oakmont’s severe demands – five-inch rough and undulating greens – while carding 11-over in practice on 2 June.

“Last Monday felt impossible – I birdied the last two holes for 81,” said the five-time major winner, who described Oakmont as a “big brute of a golf course”.

“It felt pretty good, it didn’t feel like I played that bad.

“It’s much more benign now – they had the pins in dicey positions and the greens were running at 15 and a half. It was nearly impossible.”

McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champion, has struggled with his driver in recent weeks and is coming off a nightmarish week at the Canadian Open, where he missed the cut by 12 shots.

However, he admitted Oakmont – which is hosting its 10th US Open – felt “softer” during practice on Tuesday.

“If you put it on the fairway, it’s certainly playable,” added the 36-year-old.

“But then you just have to think about leaving your ball below the hole and just trying to make as many pars as you can. If you get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that’s a bonus.

“I’m glad we have spotters out there, because last Monday you hit a ball off the fairway and you were looking for a good couple of minutes just to find it.

McIlroy’s form has deserted him in recent weeks. After his Masters win sealed the career Grand Slam, he finished tied seventh in his next event before a tie for 47th at the US PGA Championship, where his driver failed a pre-tournament legality test.

And having endured a brutal practice round at Oakmont, he carded an eight-over 78 to miss the weekend in Toronto last week.

While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McIlroy admitted he has struggled for motivation following his career-defining Augusta triumph.

“I think it’s trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago [at the Masters], then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I’ve been working,” he said when asked about moving forward.

“I worked incredibly hard on my game from October last year all the way up until April this year.

McIlroy, who has reverted to his old driver after struggling off the tee in Canada, added it was important to savour his most significant achievement.

“You have to enjoy that. You have to enjoy what you’ve just accomplished,” he said.

“I certainly feel like I’m still doing that and I will continue to do that. At some point you have to realise that there’s a little bit more golf left to play this season.

“Weeks like Quail Hollow [at the US PGA] or even weeks like last week, it makes it easier to reset in some way – to be like ‘OK, I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process’.”

McIlroy also explained that he has “always been a player that struggles” to perform immediately after a big win.

“I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you’ve just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it, and you want to sort of relish the fact that you’ve achieved a goal,” he said.

After failing to make three consecutive US Open cuts between 2016 and 2018, McIlroy has posted six successive top-10 finishes and been runner-up the past two years.