Rory McIlroy’s first ever major championship win came at Congressional way back in 2011.
McIlroy dominated the field to win by eight strokes 15 years ago and now he’s looking for his second U.S. Open title at Shinnecock Hills this week.
The 37-year-old Northern Irishman became only the sixth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters last year.
Rory McIlroy then defended his Masters title this year, and now has his sights set on cementing his legacy as one of the greatest golfers of all time by adding another U.S. Open title to his collection.
McIlroy predicted that under par will win the U.S. Open this week at Shinnecock Hills.
However, the wind might just make that impossible. Wyndham Clark, another former U.S. Open champion, spoke to the media on Monday and made a comment which might just concern fans of Rory McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy may have made a mistake ahead of the U.S. Open
McIlroy was seen working hard on his game at Shinnecock Hills on Monday.
The Northern Irishman played a practice round as well, and it was so windy that he couldn’t even wear a cap.
On the same day, Clark addressed the media during his press conference, and he was asked about his preparations for the U.S. Open this week.
“The one thing today is I actually didn’t do a practice round,“ the 32-year-old American said.
“I came in earlier and did some work. This wind is not the normal wind, so if there’s any day to — any time to take a day off, it was today, because I think the normal wind is down off the left on one. It’s more of the southwest wind.
“The wind is always a challenge here, and that’s kind of what everyone talks about. I’m just happy I didn’t have to play today, so it would be something different.
“These greens with wind, it’s going to be a real challenge, and I think whoever is patient — you’re going to miss some putts that maybe you normally would make, but you also might make some. You’re just going to have to handle the punches that Shinnecock is going to give you and stay really patient out here.“
Perhaps McIlroy would have been better just walking the course on Monday.
Why playing in extreme winds can be so problematic
Strong winds, especially when it isn’t blowing in the prevailing direction, can be seriously detrimental to golf swings.
If the wind is blowing over your back from left to right (for right handed golfers), it’s easy to develop an ‘over the top’ motion in your downswing.
This can cause all sorts of issues down the line.
Perhaps the better course of action for Rory McIlroy would have been to take Monday off. He has already played Shinnecock a few times in the lead-up to the event.
So it’s not like he’s not familiar with the golf course.
Wyndham Clark’s comments prove just how destructive playing practice rounds in extreme winds can be.
Hopefully Rory McIlroy hasn’t made a big mistake by playing at Shinnecock Hills on Monday three days before the start of the U.S. Open.
