Rory McIlroy’s notes on Scottie Scheffler’s mental ability will be put to the test as he looks to take down the world number one for the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines this weekend.
McIlroy, already with a Signature Event victory under his belt at Pebble Beach, has previously spoken about how he has taken a leaf out of Scheffler’s book in terms of his approach.
Scheffler was off colour with his driver, hitting just five fairways in round two on Friday but still managed to card an ominous bogey green 67 to lie in second place and if McIlroy is to win in back to back starts, keeping the bogeys of his card when the going gets tough will be crucial.
“Yeah, again it’s about picking and choosing your spots to be aggressive. Sometimes I think I can get overly aggressive with approach shots and that’s something where you just have to realize that sometimes par is good on a hole and you move on, but if you hole a 25- or 30-footer, that’s a bonus.
“Yeah, it’s more maybe just picking some more conservative targets at times. Scottie has proven over the past two or three years that he’s definitely the best at that.”
McIlroy knows that “belief can turn into delusion” and he is trying to channel himself to shy away from hitting the spectacular knowing that boring golf could be the key to breaking down the door in major championships going forward.
“Yeah, it’s a bit of a double edged sword; I have a lot of belief in myself but sometimes that belief can turn into delusion depending on the situation.
“Yeah, it is a little bit of that and I feel I can pull off any shot that I want to hit, but over the course of a season, over the course of a tournament, the more conservative strategies definitely pay off.”
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