Paul McGinley believes lack of confidence is behind Rory McIlroy's major heartaches
It is ten years since McIlroy won the fourth and last of his major titles at the 2014 PGA Championship, but none of his many near-misses will likely have hurt him more than the 2024 US Open
Paul McGinley believes that a lack of confidence is preventing Rory McIlroy from ending his major drought.
It is ten years since McIlroy won the fourth and last of his major titles at the 2014 PGA Championship, but none of his many near-misses will likely have hurt him more than the 2024 US Open.
The 35-year-old went two shots clear in the back nine at Pinehurst No. 2 with four birdies in five holes and some sensational putting.
But in the cauldron of a battle with Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy missed two putts under four feet on the 16th and 18th holes to bogey three of his last four and hand the title to the American.
A crestfallen McIlroy left the course without speaking to the media, but a postmortem about his latest major disappointment went on in his absence.
Despite the missed putts getting the headlines, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee believes that McIlroy's major shortcomings are predominantly swing-related rather than mental.
Chamblee said: "Rory had more pressure on him to win than anyone else in the field.
"The burden of expectation mounted; it was like a heavy coat on a summer day, and I think it grew a quantum leap after the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews.
"But I think the reason he has not won since then [2014 PGA Championship] is his swing simply isn't as good as it was.
"His golf swing is not in the same place as it was in 2014. It's deeper, it tends to be across the line, and it comes from the inside.
"We can infer negative attributes mentally, but the contributing factor to that more than anything is the golf swing.
He added: "We will remember the putts on 16 and on 18, but you should go back and look at all those iron shots that he did not hit crisp enough."
McGinley, who joined Chamblee to discuss the fallout, disagreed with the American. Instead he believes that McIlroy's primary weakness is a mental one.
"I don't agree that it's a swing issue," McGinley said. "If you are looking for perfection, you could say that it is a swing issue.
"He has had chances to win three majors in the last two years and he hasn't lost them because his swing deserted him at the wrong time.
"He lost them because his putting went slow and because when he had opportunities, he didn't seize the initiative.
"Last year at the US Open, he came back in one over par. You saw him at Quail Hollow [Wells Fargo Championship] and he just takes the opportunity and runs off into the distance and kills the opposition.
"There is enough golf game there to kill the opposition and win tournaments. The difference in major championships is when the initiative is presented to him, he doesn't run off.
"The initiative today was on the back of 13 when he made a birdie to go two shots ahead. He played 14 really poorly, he played 15 really poorly, he played 16, 17 and 18 really poorly.
"That was the period of time to run off into the distance, and that was not just because he lost his swing.
"Mentally, he got on the precipice of winning this tournament and instead of driving over the line, he hesitated.
"And if you hesitate with guys like Bryson around you, who plays with fearlessness, you have a problem."
He added: "The reason he has not won more majors is not because his game deserts him on Sunday, it is because he does not have the confidence to drive over the line like he does on PGA Tour events."
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