Sporting a new hair cut Rory McIlroy again looked every bit the freckle-faced innocent-looking the 14-year old who a decade ago had the golf world starting to take notice.
However in a packed press room at Oak Hill he faced yet another man-size inquisition this year and on this occasion on the eve of his PGA Championship defence.
McIlroy had his curly brown locks cut free-of-charge ahead of hosting the traditional Past PGA Champions Dinner on Tuesday night within the stately suburban Rochester clubhouse.
Rory McIlroy hosts annual Past PGA Champions dinner. (Photo – www.pgaofamerica.com)
McIlroy hosted some 19 former PGA winners including 1955 winner Doug Ford now aged 91, along with his 1970 and 1976 PGA wining coach, Dave Stockton and recent past champions including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
Woods and Mickelson sat close-by McIlroy and McIlroy’s close friend, Harry Diamond who McIlroy took as his guest.
The double Major winning McIlroy presented all past champions with a speaker set courtesy of his sponsor, Bose.
On his chosen menu was goat’s cheese and beet root salad for starters, Irish tenderloin beef for main and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
“It was good and it was nice and everyone definitely enjoyed the last two courses; I don’t know how the appetiser went down,” he smiled.
“I felt pretty comfortable. I didn’t have a speech or anything prepared so I just stood up there and winged it, so it was nice.
“To see all the past champions in the room was cool. Harry Diamond, my good friend, came with me and he got to meet a few of the guys he’s never met before, like Tiger, and Phil sat beside us; it was very cool
Rory McIlroy lifts the lid on his new haircut. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
“You had the most recent PGA winners there like myself, Keegan Bradley (2011), Martin Kaymer (2010) and then you have someone like Doug Ford who it was his 91st birthday on Monday.”
That was the easy part.
What was left for McIlroy was hosting his pre-tournament defending champion press conference and straight after he wound-up his practice with nine holes over Oak Hill’s back nine.
It took just four questions to McIlroy to be reminded his ‘brain dead’ comments from last month’s Muirfield Open Championship before he was also quizzed whether he can soon get back to challenging Tiger Woods for the World No. 1 crown.
“Tiger was very impressive last week the way he played and he could potentially win a hundred tour events,” said McIlroy.
“To be able to win so many golf tournaments using three different swings is incredible and very inspirational in a way, as well.
“But then I’d love to be able to get my game back to where I know it can be and be able to challenge him.”
McIlroy’s new clubs, his golf, his managerial breakdown and his relationship with tennis ace, Caroline Wozniacki has led to one of the most intense debates in the recent history of the game.
So much so, Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter suggested the media ‘give him a break’.
McIlroy responded: “That’s not for me to decide. I’d definitely rather be talking about more positive things, but I guess that is the way it is.
“So you’re (media) the only people who can decide where you lay off me or not, so it’s not my decision (smiling).
McIlroy arrived in up-State New York having finished T27th in last week’s WGC – Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
And not for the first time this year it was his Nike crimson-coloured driver continuing to leave the current World No. 3 red-faced.
McIlroy hit just 25 of 56 Firestone fairways last week but admitted on the eve of the season’s last major his Nike clubs are no longer the issue.
“The clubs were a valid point at the start of the year but I don’t think it’s a valid point now,” he said.
“It’s nine months on and of course there’s going to be a transition period where you’ve got to get used to a few different things, but now, I mean, I don’t think that should be ‑‑ I don’t think it’s a valid argument at all.
“I’m really happy with everything that I’ve got in my bag, and I’ve had the best part of eight or nine months to play with it.
“Yeah, it could have been a valid point in maybe January, February, but I don’t think it is now.”
But while his complimentary hair cut has taken 10 years off McIlroy’s looks, he also admits that when he does finally climb out of the slump he’s currently enduring it will have matured him.
“Every period in my career is character building,” he said.
“I learnt so many things from winning this event last year and you just move on. I want to do the same again but then your life would be pretty boring if it was easy all the time.
“It’s just great we have these challenges and you try and get over them and learn something from them and move on.”
Twelve months ago McIlroy was magical along the South Carolina shoreline. He was having fun as he waltzed his way to an eight shot success.
He will look to rekindle the ‘magic’ at 6.25pm later today (THURS) playing alongside fellow PGA champions, Vijay Singh and Martin Kaymer.
“The magic is not that far away,” he said.
“I just need to go out there and enjoy it and I know when I enjoy my golf that’s when I bring the best out of myself and if it something doesn’t happen this week then it’s fine but I know that’s what I am building towards.
“I also expect to play well and there is no reason I shouldn’t as I have played a couple of practice rounds and I played really well this morning (WED).
“So that’s given me a nice little bit of positive momentum going into tomorrow (THUS)
“But I just expect to go out there and play and just try and hit fairways and if I hit the fairways then I’m looking to hit he greens and move to the next hole and try and do the same again.
“So I just really want to go out there and play golf and enjoy it.”
