Rory McIlroy said he feels “more motivated” than ever as he prepares for the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, the world’s No. 2-ranked player said, with the PGA Championship next week outside Philadelphia and the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills to follow.
McIlroy appeared rested and relaxed in Charlotte for his first tournament since repeating as Masters champion, but he warned that rest should not be taken for complacency. “I’m excited for the road ahead,” the six-time major champion said Wednesday after his pro-am round, the report says.
The report says the post-Masters break was “less hectic” than last year. The 37-year-old spent most of his time at his home in Jupiter, Florida, visited New York with his wife, Erica Stoll, and attended a White House state dinner for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. He also elected for more “chill” time at home, allowing him to take his daughter Poppy to tennis lessons.
He did not travel back to Northern Ireland to celebrate, the report says, largely because his parents were already in the United States to see the victory in person. His parents had skipped the previous Masters so as not to jinx his chances of completing the career Grand Slam, the report adds. “I gave myself a good 10 days to enjoy myself and then thought I needed to get back on the range and start to practice and get ready for this stretch coming up,” McIlroy said.
Quail Hollow has been a productive stop for McIlroy. He earned his first PGA Tour victory there 16 years ago, has won four times at the course and was 20 when he won his first PGA tournament there, according to the report. The course has suited his length off the tee, including a dominant seven-shot victory in 2015 and a tournament-record performance that year. Per DraftKings Sportsbook, he enters this week as the slight favorite to win over Cameron Young, who won last weekend at Doral.
McIlroy said returning to action after winning the Masters again feels different from a year ago. “I felt like winning the Grand Slam was going to be this life-changing thing, and in some ways it was, but in other ways I had to remember, like, ‘No, I still have a lot of my career left and I want to keep playing and keep competing,'” he said, the report says.
