Dual US Open champ, Curtis Strange reckons Rory McIlroy has pulled himself out of his Augusta National ‘rabbit hole’ in the few weeks since his Masters meltdown, as he heads into this week’s PGA Championship.
Strange, 68, won back-to-back US Open titles in 1988 and 1989, with a second win coming at the Oak Hill club that will play host to this week’s PGA Championship.
This week also mark’s the ninth anniversary of McIlroy’s second PGA Championship triumph and after his bitter disappointment earlier last month the eyes of the golf world will be on the current World No. 3 to see if he has indeed emerged from the controversial ‘rabbit hole’ he found himself in the days following the Masters.
Strange reckons he’s got himself back up to ground level and is one very much backing McIlroy to bounce back to his best.
“You put in so much energy to try to peak for the Masters, and then you don’t play well”, said Strange.
“Then frustration sets in, so you withdraw the next week. We’ve all gone through that. You’ve got to get yourself together, you know you’re going down a rabbit hole that you don’t want to go very far down because it’s tough to climb back out.
“I feel for Rory because this LIV conversation these last two years, with him being the voice, it’s taken a lot away from his golf.
“I think exhausted is the wrong word, but it’s fatigued him a bit.
“Rory said at the Masters he’s looking forward to just getting back to playing golf, and hopefully that’s the case”.
It should also be fond memories for McIlroy this week returning to the Oak Hill course, where in 2013 he teed-up as the defending PGA Champion, finishing in a share of eighth and then a year winning the Rodman Wanamaker trophy for a second occasion in three years.
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