Rory McIlroy reflects on Masters ‘wake-up call’ ahead of US PGA Championship at Oak Hill

Rory McIlroy is gearing up for the upcoming US PGA Championship at Oak Hill, and he looks back on his recent performance at the Masters as a “wake-up call.”

The Northern Irishman, who clinched this championship for the second time in 2014, is yet to secure another major victory to add to his collection.

Despite feeling confident the night before, he recognised that golf has a way of swiftly bringing players back to reality.

“It was a great lesson to me to not put too much into feelings or vibes,” McIlroy admitted, reflecting on the experience.

McIlroy stressed the significance of managing expectations and practising acceptance. “The best way is to not let yourself get to that level of expectation. I need to have a little more acceptance,” he emphasised.

Evaluating his performance at Augusta and in recent months, he acknowledged his lack of acceptance as a contributing factor. However, he expressed confidence that working on this aspect would lead to improved golf in the future, saying, “When I think back to Augusta and the past few months, my level of acceptance wasn’t where it needs to be. If I work on that, I know I’ll play some good golf again.”

In the build-up to the Masters, McIlroy had reasons to be optimistic, having clinched victories in the CJ Cup and Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year. He also achieved impressive finishes in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC Match Play.

However, a setback occurred when he missed the cut at the Players Championship due to distractions related to LIV Golf and discussions about the future of the American tour.

“They say embrace the struggle,” McIlroy continued, acknowledging that he’s not in a prolonged period of struggle.

“I’m not saying I’m struggling a lot, I had a chance to win Bay Hill, I had a chance to win the Match Play and it was only six weeks ago, so it’s not like this has been a long-term thing.

“It gives you a purpose to go to the range and work on things. Sometimes, success can bring complacency and having little wake-up calls along the way can be a good thing.”