Rory McIlroy summed up his resilience in trying to end his major drought with a nine-word comment ahead of The Open. It’s been a decade since the Northern Irishman last triumphed in one of golf’s big four events.
He’s come close on a number of occasions, perhaps none more so than at last month’s US Open - where three bogeys on the last four holes allowed Bryson DeChambeau to snatch victory. McIlroy continues to bounce back and will have another crack at Royal Troon this week.
He took a break from the course to process his latest disappointment, but he’s now ready to go again. And it’s that defiance which he believes could finally end the wait, explaining “I’ve been willing to have my heart be broken”.
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Speaking to RTE, McIlroy said: "One thing that I've done a really good job of over the past three or four years in the majors is, I've been willing to have my heart be broken, because I've put myself out there.
"I've let myself be vulnerable and let myself get to that point, basically, of no return. I've experienced three of those Sundays in the last two or three years but that's what you need to do.
"You need to put yourself out there and be willing to get hurt. Because it's that fine margin of walking through that threshold of 'if this doesn't happen, it's really gonna suck. But if it does happen, it's gonna be awesome'.
"I've done a better job of just putting myself in the mix and putting it all out there. I did that at Pinehurst, it didn't work out. But I'd love to get that opportunity again this week and I know I'll be able to handle it better.”
McIlroy went on to point out that record major winner Jack Nicklaus had more runner-up finishes than major titles - 19 to 18 - with his focus on embracing the setback at Pinehurst. He missed putts of fewer than four feet on the 16th and 18th to let DeChambeau win by a shot.
The 35-year-old won his four majors within three years but has since been unable to add to his 2011 US Open triumph, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships and 2014 Open win. His competitive return saw him finish T4 in his defence of the Scottish Open last week.
