Rory McIlroy is ready for action ahead of his best chance of ending a near 12-month winless drought at this week’s Dell Technology Championship near Boston.
McIlroy has not tasted success anywhere since capturing last year’s PGA Tour season-ending Tour Championship but then he tees-up on the TPC Boston course having won the event in 2012 and for a second time a year ago.
At this stage, and if he qualifies later this month for his defence also of the Tour Championship, then McIlroy has just four events to keep alive a continuous run of having won at least one event a year since 2008 and his first full season as a pro.
Three of those events are in the States with McIlroy currently in the field for next fortnight’s BMW Championship and then his final event of 2017 being the October 5th starting Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour.
However, that could be reduced to just three should McIlroy, and currently No. 44 on FedEx Cup standings, fail to get himself inside the top-30 at the end of the BMW and qualify to defend his Tour Championship title on September 21st in Atlanta.
“I’d hate to think that I’ll end this year without a win,” McIlroy said
“I’ve got four tournaments left, really, until I can hopefully make that happen: Here, Chicago, Atlanta and then one back over in Europe.
“It would just be nice to get a win before I shut it down for a while.
“I feel like I’m capable of achieving that and it’s not as if I’m out there and I’m hurting myself or making it any worse. I feel like I can still go out there and compete.
“So, if you can do that, why not give it a go and that’s my thinking”.
And McIlroy needed any encouragement there is images from a year ago splashed all about the local Norton township and the TPC of Boston course of McIlroy holding aloft the trophy.
McIlroy had crashed to be four-over after just three holes but managed to recover to post a 71 and end the first round six shots off the lead.
Despite a day two 67 McIlroy was lying seven back at the close of the second round but was still six behind Paul Casey post a day three 66.
And McIlroy maintained the theme of getting better with each round overhauling Casey with a 65 and win by two shots.
“It’s always good to come back to Boston as I have good memories of playing well here, winning in 2012 and 2016,” he said.
“Last year I didn’t get off the greatest of starts but was able to rally on the weekend and get a win which set me up to go on and win the FedEx Cup.
“So, I now find my d myself in a similar position this week as I was last year, needing a good week to sort of kick-start the next few weeks.
“Hopefully I can find that little spark that I found last year and go on and play well from here until the Tour Championship.”
McIlroy will tee off in the $US 8.75m event 6.04pm Friday Irish time.
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