Rory McIlroy returned to the winner’s circle when he teamed up with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, but could his recent success on the PGA Tour be the start of bigger things this year?
McIlroy had a strong start to the year on the DP World Tour after finishing second at the Dubai Invitational and successfully defending the title at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, winning at TPC Louisiana.
The Northern Irishman has finished above 19th just once in his first eight PGA Tour starts this season, landing him 44th in the FedExCup standings last week before a dramatic playoff win alongside Lowry secured a groundbreaking 25th PGA Tour title.
McIlroy’s victory moves him to 15th in the FedExCup standings ahead of May’s Wells Fargo Championship and PGA Championship, both events he has previously won and which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Former DP World Tour player Richard McEvoy believes his recent win will give him extra confidence.
“I think, it [winning] “Could do him a huge favor,” McEvoy said told that Sky Sports Golf Podcast. “He looked very relaxed, he seemed to be playing great.” [on Sunday]. It could be really good for Rory.
“As far as confidence goes, it will do him good to have been out there, having fun and knowing you can play well, having fun on a golf course, being relaxed and enjoying it. Sometimes you need those little kicks in the butt to make it work and click.” .
“It’s really impressive to do something like that… to have the will to continue to compete and try to win golf tournaments. Rory still has what it takes to win tournaments and compete weekly. If he doesn’t win, he wins.” He’s rarely outside the top 20, so he’s there or close to it most weeks.”
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Nick Dougherty is in the Audi Performance Zone to find out how Rory McIlroy improved his swing.
Majors next for McIlroy?
McIlroy fell short in his last Grand Slam bid at the Masters and finished the week tied for 22nd as Scottie Scheffler won the Green Jacket for the second time in three years, the world No. 2 ever since his 2014 PGA Championship has not yet achieved a major victory.
This year’s edition takes place in Valhalla, where McIlroy won this year. Sky Sports’ Richard Kaufman admitted it will be a challenge for him to carry over the relaxed attitude he had towards Lowry during a busy major period.
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As Rory McIlroy prepares to win his first major title since the 2014 PGA Championship, take a look at the best moments from his final round at Valhalla.
“He’s having fun out there with Shane Lowry, but how do you translate that to tournament golf?” Kaufman said. “At the Masters, for example, there was so much pressure and so much talk and he tried… every kind of strategy.”
“Psychologically it must be so hard to say ‘I’m going to have fun.’ When you have someone with you, I can see that they are obviously very comfortable with Shane.” [Lowry]but it’s so hard to replicate that feeling when playing regular tournament golf.”
What else is on the podcast?
McEvoy and Kaufman joined regular host Josh Antmann to discuss McIlroy and Lowry’s victory and look back at the ISPS Handa Championship and Hannah Green’s impressive win on the LPGA Tour.
There’s an extensive debate about the ongoing discussions about unifying men’s professional football and what things might look like in the future, as well as an extensive interview with England’s David Skinns about his strong start to the PGA Tour season.
Live PGA Tour Golf
Thursday, May 2nd, 12:45 p.m
The trio discuss some of their hidden gems at golf courses across the UK and look forward to the live action on Sky Sports Golf this week, including the Volvo China Open.
Download and listen to the latest Sky Sports Golf Podcast and don’t forget to subscribe via Spotify, Spreaker or Apple Podcasts! If you would like to contact the podcast, you can email [email protected].
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