‘I'm pretty close to being back to Masters level' – Rory McIlroy bullish after taking co-lead at Scottish Open

Irish Independent

20 hours ago

The 2023 champion has struggled to reset after becoming just the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters at Augusta National in April.
But after carding a four-under 66 to share the lead with American Chris Gotterup on 11-under-par at the Renaissance Club, two clear of the field, he feels he's had time to "digest" that momentous victory and believes his game is close to where it was in April.
"It's my first realistic chance to win after the Masters," McIlroy said after a five-birdie round in a testing breeze.
"I've had a great season. I won at Pebble, I won The Players. But look, I've said this when you do something that you've been dreaming of your whole life, to do something that was a huge moment in my life and my career, I think I just needed that little bit of time.
"And to be back here for the last couple of weeks, I feel like I could actually digest all of it. I feel like I came to this tournament with sort of renewed enthusiasm and excitement for the rest of the year."
Happy with his form with the driver and believing he's overcome his battle to conquer a left-to-right wind, he sounded a word of warning to his rivals at Royal Portrush next week.
"I think I'm pretty close to being back to the level I was at going into the Masters," he said.
"I think I've had a little bit of a lull, which I feel is understandable. So I'm just getting back to the level that I know that I can play at."
Overnight leader Gotterup shot a level par 70 to share the lead with McIlroy, who feels he has slowly improved in the left-to-right winds that had caused him problems in the first two rounds.
"I'm pretty much there," the Hollywood star said of his game, which he rated at 80 per cent on Thursday.
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"One of the things I was wanting to work on was my ball flight in that left-to-right wind.
"I don't know if it's luck or whatever, but you know, the wind on the range now is straight off the left. It has been for the last day and a half.
"It's been nice to hit some balls in that wind direction and get a feel for that. I feel like I controlled my ball flight well today in the little bit of wind that was out there and my game is pretty good on the greens.
"My lag putting has been good. All the things you need to do well on links golf to succeed."
McIlroy has received a hero's welcome in Scotland and hopes for more of the same in the final round as he heads out with Gotterup with a two-shot lead over English duo Matt Fitzpatrick and Marco Penge and American pair Jake Knapp and Wyndham Clark.
"I'm excited to get out there," McIlroy added. "The atmosphere has been great all week. Obviously, the weather helps that.
"Tee times are pushed up a little bit, so hopefully get the business done early-ish and I can watch the last two or three sets of the Wimbledon final."
Pádraig Harrington also got another round of links practice under his belt and made four bogeys and two birdies in a 72 to share 66th on one over.