Rory McIlroy hasn’t won a major championship since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. There have been some missed cuts and near wins along the way, but there’s no denying that the Northern Irishman is desperate to add a 5th major to his resume.
While speaking on “Live from the PLAYERS”, Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley said McIlroy needs to stop being “nice” if he wants to add to his major total.
“The competitors and the tough guys – the Raymond Floyds – you don’t see that in the modern game,” he said.
“Everybody seems to be friends. And I think Rory is at his best when he’s got an edge, and he’s got those pointy elbows. We saw that at the Ryder Cup [in Rome]. It was no coincidence he had his best ever Ryder Cup there.
“The thing about Rory is he’s such a nice guy, and when he’s asked a question, he gives such an honest answer, but sometimes that gives an edge to your competitor.”
“Tiger Woods was so guarded in that instance. He would never give David Duval a boost up and say how great a player he was, or Ernie Els, or Vijay Singh, his real contemporaries at that stage. You’ve got to keep the foot down!”
McIlroy recently suggested that Scottie Scheffler should switch to a mallet style putter and the world number one listened. After the switch, Scheffler won at Bay Hill by a whopping five shots and putt the ball beautifully.
McGinley didn’t reference McIlroy’s recommendation to Scheffler, but said you can’t give your opponents “an edge” as a competitor.
“Yes, you can be friends with them, but don’t give them an edge. Napoleon had a great line about that – [‘Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake’] – and maybe I’ve got a hard-nosed feeling about it, but golf is a very, very tough game. It’s a selfish game. I would like you to keep those little nuggets to yourself.”
McIlroy is set to tee it up this week at TPC Sawgrass after a disappointing Sunday at Bay Hill.
