Rory McIlroy’s frustrating season boiled over on the eve of the Irish Open in criticising the negative spin that’s been put on his performances over the past six months.
The four-time Major winner is hosting the event at the K. Club and the first time the Co. Kildare course, located just south of Dublin, has staged a major event since the 2006 Ryder Cup.
Back then McIlroy was just 18 years and another face in the very partisan European crowd that helped steer Europe to a nine-point triumph.
He tees-up this morning without anywhere to hide given his enormous contribution and impact on the game since turning pro later in 2007.
Four-time Major winning Rory McIlroy not happy with the negative spin put on his poor season. (Photo – www.europeantour.com)
However, it’s now been more than six months since McIlroy tasted success in the European Tour season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
But since then, McIlroy’s had six top-10 finishes including the latest in sharing fourth place a fortnight ago in the defence of his Wells Fargo Championship.
And after an indifferent Players Championship last week, that included see-saw rounds of 72, 64, 75 and 70 the current World No. 3 is not too pleased what he’s been reading.
“I’m relaxed about it but it also frustrates me, I guess the negative spin that’s put on my form,” he said.
“I know expectations for myself are higher than other players, but you look at my record this year with a third in Abu Dhabi, a fifth in Dubai, a third at Doral, fourth in the Match Play so my bad weeks are Top-10s, basically.
“So it just frustrates me that the narrative is about there’s something missing in Rory’s game or what’s wrong with Rory or where I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong.
“It’s very close and it’s just that I’m waiting for something to happen. I might need to make something happen, but it’s not as far away as I feel some people think it is.
“I feel very comfortable with where my game is at, and I know that if I go out and I play my best or close to my best, that I’m going to have a great chance to win this week, next week, basically all season, because I’m in a really good place with where my game is.
“It just hasn’t happened yet, and I’m trying to stay as patient as possible.
“But sometimes that’s hard to do when you feel like you’re playing really well but the results aren’t quite there. So I just need to string four good rounds together in a tournament and I feel like from there, I’ll be off and running, and that could be the catapult and steppingstone to another great season.”
