By Sarah Gwynn, europeantour.com
at Pinehurst
Not every golfer can call on the advice of 18-time Major Champion Jack Nicklaus when they fancy it, but then Rory McIlroy is no ordinary player.
The 25 year old arranged a visit to Nicklaus’ office in Florida last week and spent two hours talking golf and business, something that will surely help McIlroy in his quest to win the US Open Championship for a second time at Pinehurst this week.
The Northern Irishman has been in brilliant form this season, winning the BMW PGA Championship last month and amassing several other top ten finishes on either side of the Atlantic, but one fact that crept up in conversation with the great Nicklaus was his recent tendency to shoot a low score on a Thursday and follow it up with a bad round on a Friday.
“It’s strange,” said McIlroy. “Jack said to me, ‘How the hell can you shoot a 63 one day and then a 78 the next’? I had a great conversation with him and I feel very honoured that I can call him up for advice. He’s been very generous with his time.
“I feel like I've got a really good rapport with Jack. He was a great US Open player and hopefully some of those little nuggets he passed on to me might help this week.”
Brimming with confidence from his latest performances and with Nicklaus’ words of wisdom ringing in his ears, McIlroy is one of the favourites to triumph on Pinehurst’s No. 2 course and claim his third Major title, having won this tournament at Congressional in 2011 and the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in 2012.
Both of those were runaway, low scoring victories on soft courses with receptive greens, so McIlroy feels that were he to prevail over Pinehurst’s firm, links-esque track, it would be even sweeter.
“The US Open I won was abnormal,” he said. “It was wet and low scoring. I haven't won a tournament whenever it's been like this. That's why I'm relishing the challenge. These are conditions I haven't won in before and I'd love to be able to prove to myself and prove to other people that I can win in different conditions. It's a great opportunity to do that this week.
“It’s going to be a test of patience, and I think I’m better equipped to do that than a few years ago. Out of 72 holes, there are probably only five pins I will go at.
“The course sets up really well for someone who hits it long, hits it high and has a razor short game. There are a lot of guys coming in here feeling like they have a great chance to win, and I put myself in that category.”
Having not contended in any of the Majors in 2013, McIlroy is eager to return to the cut and thrust of being in the mix on a Sunday again.
He added: “I want to get in contention. I want to feel the buzz of being there on the last day of Majors and having a chance to win and being more consistent. I didn't really do that at the Masters this year. I finished in the top ten, but I never really had a chance to win.
“I've got three Majors left this season and they're the biggest tournaments in the world. You want to try to do as well as you can in them and I’ll be preparing as well as possible to do that.”
