Two weeks ago Rory McIlroy described as ‘strained’ his relationship with the famed ‘Burma Road’ West Course and venue for this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
‘Strained’ now seems to operative word as the double Major Champion tries to put aside the bust-up in his relationship with Caroline Wozniacki.
After first issuing a statement, McIlroy stuck with a decision to attend a pre-tournament press conference where the first six of the nine questions over the course of the near seven-minute conference dealt with the ending of his relationship with the former World No. 1.
Whether or not McIlroy can put aside his off-course distractions for the duration of this week’s Euro 4.75m BMW PGA remains a big question.
Rory McIlroy ends his relationship with Caroline Wozniacki. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
McIlroy did his best yesterday (WED) showing no outward signs of any concern in playing the Pro-Am alongside Manchester United legends Teddy Sheringham, Peter Schmeichel and Philip Neville.
“It was great as I’ve been a Manchester United fan my whole life,” said McIlroy.
“So getting to play with three Manchester United legends was great and we had a nice afternoon. I remember watching the Champions League final in ’99 when United beat Munich in Barcelona, and it was a very memorable night.
“Those three guys were involved in the final, so it was great to relive that with them.”
Looking at his results this year, McIlroy tees-up at Tour HQ in great form with eight top-10s in his 10 events this season including an eighth in his last two appearances – the Wells Fargo Championship and last fortnight’s Players Championship.
But then Wentworth has hardly been a happy hunting ground and little wonder the current World No. 10 admits to a ‘strained’ relationship.
Admittedly, he was fifth in 2009 but since the changes to the course he’s missed the cut in his last two Wentworth showings including rounds of 74 and 75 a year ago.
And while McIlroy was close to tears in speaking of his break-up with Wozniacki, he was upbeat in glossing over his efforts inside the Burma Road ropes.
“I’ve enjoyed my times here and it’s a beautiful golf course,” he said.
“I’ve got great memories of the place from coming and watching the World Match-Play in the early 2000s as a kid.
“But then I’ve struggled since they made the changes to the course.
“So I am trying to go into this week with the mind-set of not getting frustrated and just trying to play to my strengths and not get frustrated, even though I might only hit driver two or three times a round.
“I’m just going to try, just accept that you’ve got to plot your way around this golf course and not be too aggressive. And that’s really what I have to try and do, just sort of reign it in a little bit.
“But it’s a great event. It’s always well supported by all the Europeans that come back and play on the PGA Tour. It’s the European Tour flagship event. BMW are also a great supporter of golf around the world, and this tournament deserves the best players and the best field, and it gets that.”
However for a second year running, and after the Sergio Garcia/Tiger Woods controversy of a year ago, BMW are no doubt wondering if they deserved the McIlroy bombshell on the eve of the event.
