Rory McIlroy waited 10 years to win a major championship after finishing tied for 12th at the PGA Championship on Sunday, nine shots behind winner Xander Schauffele.
Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believes Rory McIlroy can still double his haul of four major championships, but he thinks World number two has ‘psychological’ barriers surpass.
McIlroy The decade-long wait for a major victory continues after finishing tied for 12th place The PGA Championship at Valhalla The Northern Irishman started the week promisingly with a five-under-par opening round but was unable to keep pace with the leading group from Friday onwards in low-scoring conditions.
The 35-year-old did not taste major glory since his victory at Valhalla in 2014, raising doubts about his ability to add to his haul of four major titles. But McGinley, who captained McIlroy at the Ryder Cup This year he believes that great victories lie in the Ulsterman’s future, if he can overcome the mental scars that have formed over the last decade.
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“There are two reasons why he’s not the player he was back then as far as the majors,” McGinley said. Golf Channel. “The courts are harder now. Back then, he was a young guy making his way and his elbows were at their best. It was really a case of, ‘I’m on my way to becoming the best player in the game, so get out of my way.’”
“He had a clear vision. When you get there and you climb the mountain, can you stay there? He did it in PGA Tour events where his 10 percent win ratio is fantastic compared to anybody else. Even Scottie Scheffler has only an 8 percent win rate.
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“But there’s no doubt there’s a psychological build-up to not having crossed the finish line in the majors because he hasn’t been around the block yet. I say not yet because if he does once, I have a feeling – maybe not – there will certainly be three or four more majors for Rory McIlroy.”
McIlroy will not play in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Memphis this week after a busy period on and off the course. He filed for divorce from wife Erica Stoll last week after seven years of marriage.
The 35-year-old, who has won his last two PGA Tour starts, will return to action at the Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on May 30. McIlroy has won the event twice before and a positive showing north of the border will boost his hopes of contending for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 next month.
“I had a great stretch of golf here,” he said after his final round Sunday, when he shot 4 under par. “I think it was my sixth tournament in seven weeks. “I’ve got a week off and then I’m going to play four more tournaments in a row. I feel good about my game.”
“I feel like things are getting better, especially after the win in New Orleans. I played well last week in Charlotte. I’m going to spend a week here to reset and try to get going again.”
