Rory McIlroy packed his clubs and headed home to Florida, perhaps thinking of what might have been. The disappointment won’t last too long, as he admitted attempting to complete the Grand Slam in the same calendar year is probably an “unrealistic” goal.
The Northern Irishman – like many of those who played in the US PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia, which proved itself a truly major examination – will shift his sights forward to the remaining two majors. They are the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and The Open at Royal Birkdale.
Before the US Open, Masters champion McIlroy will make a return to play The Memorial – the tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village in Ohio. He skipped that event last year in favour of playing the RBC Canadian Open. This time around, he has flipped his schedule and will miss the Canadian tour stop, a tournament where he is a two-time winner.
It means McIlroy will play only once, in the Memorial, before teeing up in the US Open. It forms part of his less-is-more philosophy in mapping out an itinerary that prioritises the majors. In again taking a leaf out of Nicklaus’s book, McIlroy plans on some advance reconnaissance to the links in the Hamptons ahead of the actual exam.
“Shinnecock is going to provide a very different test to what we saw [in the PGA].” said McIlroy. “I’ll go there a little bit early again, try to get some prep in and refamiliarise myself with that golf course a bit.
“Short game is going to have to be very sharp that week. The greens are very similar [to Aronimink], with the runoffs and the slopes, except there’s not the thick rough around the greens. You’re chipping off tighter lies and the ball gets away from the greens a little bit, which is more like I like it. I like that style of golf a little bit more than the thick rough around the greens that we had [in the PGA].”
Rory McIlroy plays a shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, Pennsylvania, where he finished joint-seventh. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
In noting that his driving accuracy requires some work, he admitted: “I’ll try to get the ball in the fairway a little bit more. But in saying that, it seems like the fairway widths at Shinnecock are going to be quite wide. So, just find a shot I can get in play off the tee and from there, I feel like my approach play and my wedges – my short game, my putting – are good enough to absolutely have a chance.”
That chance to become the first player to complete the Grand Slam in the same year has now come and gone. The Wanamaker Trophy is now safely in the hands of Aaron Rai.
“I was the only person that had a chance to do it,” added McIlroy, whose joint-seventh finish moved him up two places to eighth on the updated FedEx Cup standings. “I’ve been the only person that’s had a chance the last two years.
“I’d say it crossed my mind [on Saturday]. I’m like, ‘oh, if I play a really good round of golf here (Sunday), you never know’. But I haven’t. And I haven’t thought about it that much. I feel like I set pretty lofty goals; that one is bordering on being unrealistic.”
Shane Lowry finished joint-44th at Aronimink, which saw him slip five places to 50th on the those FedEx Cup standings. He will also take a two-week break after playing 10 events in 12 weeks before returning to play at the Memorial.
That visit to the Memorial will spark a four-week stretch for Lowry – also taking in the Canadian Open, the US Open and The Travelers Championship – before he relocates to Europe for the summer.
[ Rory McIlroy left counting missed opportunities at US PGA ChampionshipOpens in new window ]
For now, he is looking forward to a couple of weeks away from tour stop after tour stop. “For my mind more so than anything,” admitted Lowry. “It’s hard. I’ve been getting down on myself a bit too much probably. I’m trying so hard, trying my best to do well.”
His return to tournament play, like McIlroy, will be at Jack’s Place. He added: “ I’ve played well at Memorial the last couple of years. But for the final round in both years, I’ve done pretty well. I like the golf course, I think it kind of suits my game. And then, I like going to Canada.
“It helps this year, for the first year in a while, Wendy and the kids are on that trip with me. I normally do it on my own and by the time I get to the end of the US Open, I just want to go home. So, it would be nice to have them on the road with me for a few weeks.”
Séamus Power, who wasn’t in the field at the PGA, returns to action at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson at McKinney, Texas.