Graeme McDowell on Rory McIlroy’s Great Drought
In this field, I would like to send a business partner on behalf of the business partner to receive regular offers by electronic and advertising messaging actions. Don’t worry -we won’t share with them. August 10th marks exactly 10 years since Rory McIlroy last won a Grand Slam tournament.
There’s still no way to break that duck, and it’s certain the Irishman’s drought in the game’s main event will stretch to two decades. Did this come as a shock to you? You’re not alone. McIlroy’s fellow Northern Irishman and former Ryder Cup teammate, Graeme McDowell, shares your surprise.
But the 2010 U.S. Open winner believes this streak of infertility will end soon, and perhaps at the Masters in April. Speaking to bunkered.co.uk ahead of a sold-out LIV UK event at the JCB Golf & Country Club this week, McDowell said: “It’s obviously been a tough time for Rory in the major leagues and it’s evident from what happened at Pinehurst.
“But look, to this day he’s still one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen. It’s been incredible the way he’s played the past two years, considering what he’s had to deal with on and off the golf course.
“I think potentially, when he gets to the majors, the noise he’s made for the PGA Tour and the noise of the work he’s done for them might be a little too much for him. This makes it even harder.
“But now he’s gone, the offseason dust has settled, and we’re heading into next year, and I mean, he’s just too good to win a major anymore.” “I’m sure the drought will end soon, hopefully at Augusta. He deserves to win a career Grand Slam and be the best player because I think he’s one of the best.”As for his main ambitions, McDowell revealed his main target is to play in next year’s British Open in his hometown of Portrush. Since COVID DELAYED 2020 Masters has not been introduced in major, he knows that he has run out for him as far as he can.
“Last week, I watched the open championship and sat down at home and did my best.” “And I’m not complaining, I understand the reasons why I’m not going to be there and some may say I haven’t played well enough to be there. “But I still believe with the right schedule, the right attitude and the right approach it can be done.
“Portrush has my eye on it and I will play any Asian Tour or DP World Tour event I am allowed to play in as well as there are British Open places available. I would love to play in these tournaments next year in addition to the LIV program.
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McDowell added that he hopes to see a LIV event in Ireland in the near future, but suggested the current success of McIlroy and Shane Lowry could make that difficult.
“I think it would be difficult to get to Ireland at this time when two of Ireland’s best players are playing on the PGA Tour and the European Tour,” he said. “That definitely puts obstacles in our way.
“I’m not saying we can’t go to Ireland, but I think it would be a different story if Rory and Shane were playing LIV. “But obviously I would love to play in Ireland or Scotland and obviously we’ve played in England in recent years with Centurion and now JCB but it’s not Portrush, it’s not Troon, it’s not St Andrews. It’s not the classes that I really, really miss, you know?
“But like I said, because of my schedule the last few years, I wasn’t able to go to Portrush this summer and see my mum and dad. I miss them, I miss playing in front of the home fans, and I miss a decent pint of Guinness.”
