Rory McIlroy is back! After struggling mightily last year with his golf game, the 25-year-old Northern Irishman has found the winning touch once again as he claimed his third major title in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in convincing fashion last month.
He resumes his quest for another major crown next week at Valhalla Golf Club with the 96th staging of the PGA Championship (read our complete preview of the tournament here). He already won this event back in 2012 and is the overwhelming favorite at +750 to win the year’s final major.
Can he do it? Read on as we dissect the key factors affecting McIlroy’s chances of winning back-to-back majors as he bids to further cement his golfing legacy.
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Three Keys to Rory McIlroy’s Performance at the 2014 PGA Championship
As the saying goes, winning breeds confidence, and that is certainly the case for Rory McIlroy who just won the British Open two weeks ago to reignite his drive to capture major titles. McIlroy’s golf game suffered in 2013 as he slid to sixth in the world rankings and stated at one point in the Open Championship last year that he was brain dead on the course.
[sc:Golf240banner ]How things have changed. McIlroy started the year on a positive note as he finished second at the Honda Classic last March. Although he failed to convert an overnight lead into a victory and lost via a four-man playoff, the fact he was in contention was a positive sign for the former world number one.
He followed that up with victory at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth where he came back from seven shots down to beat Thomas Bjorn. It was his first win in 18 months and it did wonders to boost McIlroy’s confidence and belief that he can once again win titles.
That certainly was the case at Royal Liverpool, where McIlroy went wire-to-wire to complete the third leg of his career Grand Slam. Even with Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler hot on his heels, the Northern Irishman was supremely confident that he will be able to close the deal just like he did at Wentworth months earlier.
In the same way that winning breeds confidence, confidence also breeds winning and McIlroy will be bringing that mentality to Valhalla next week.
Focus
Ever since McIlroy broke off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki last May, he has made it a point to rededicate his entire life to golf. And the results are there for all to see. Just days after announcing their engagement was off, McIlroy proved that he can tune out all the noise as he won his first tournament in over 18 months.
At 25 years of age, McIlroy’s focus on his golf game is so intense that he begins his day thinking what he can do to improve his golf game. When asked after the Open Championship what he wanted to accomplish in life, his answer was direct: “I didn’t grow up wanting to lead a normal life. I grew up wanting to win major championships.” He has three already. The fourth may be coming just a week from now.
Experience
McIlroy’s edge against other golfers is that he knows how to close these major events. He was pushed in the final round of the British Open two weeks ago but had the composure to hold off the advances of Garcia and Fowler to win his first Open title.
Not only that, but McIlroy has already won the PGA Championship before. He broke Jack Nicklaus’ record in the PGA Championship for margin of victory, winning the 2012 edition at Kiawah Island by eight shots, finishing with a 13-under-par 275.
That experience will serve him well as he tries to win back-to-back majors for the first time in his career and in the process lift his second Wanamaker trophy.
Writer’s Prediction
McIlroy (+750) is playing some great golf right now and will seal another major title.
