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Rory McIlroy: “It’s not as penal as some other U.S. Opens.”

By Kathlene Bissell

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the fourth tee during a practice round prior to the start of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on June 15, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the fourth tee during a practice round prior to the start of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on June 15, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Rory McIlroy sounds more positive on course conditions than any other player, and that’s a good sign for his chances this week. Of course, many golfers have a positive frame of mind before the U.S. Open starts. It’s when they are ankle deep in rough that many lose heart.

“The setup’s great. It’s fair. Obviously, with the dry southern California climate, the greens have the possibility to get very firm,” McIlroy, a former U.S. Open champ, said about Torry Pines after he’d had a chance to see it. “It’s not as penal as some other U.S. Opens.”

He described the rough as playable and noted that even from the rough it would be possible to hit shots to the greens.  He liked the comfort factor of having a course that is typically on the PGA Tour because players know it already.

As far as the state of his game, he thinks the parts are falling into place.  The challenge now, he believes is getting into the right frame of mind as far as being committed to each shot.  Perhaps this is like Phil Mickelson talking about focus on each shot. If it’s not one and the same, then they are at least very close cousins.  McIlroy’s goal is to get a sense of freedom when he plays, without the tension of what ifs.

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Because there’s no water on Torrey Pines except on the 18th hole, the main defense of course this week will be the rough and bumpy poa annua greens. To paraphrase Tiger Woods comments on a lot of things, the greens are what they are. Everyone knows what to expect.  And everyone knows luck is going to be a factor on the putting surfaces. The luck of the bump and bounce.

McIlroy described the differences in turf off the fairways as Kikuyu being sticky and  poa annua being yellow and brown in color.  He didn’t mention the other grasses that have migrated their way to the property, the Bermuda and fescue.  He’s hoping his golf balls land in the poa because he has found it’s easier to get them out and onto the green.

“There’s no substitute for hitting the ball off the fairway here. It’s a pure — it’s fairways and greens. It’s a proper U.S. Open test,” he admitted.

Since the PGA Championship McIlroy’s changed his driver set up and says he’s more comfortable with that club now than he has been recently.

As far as what he needs to do to be successful this week, he said, “It’s about going out there and playing as free as I can and having that mentality that I had as a 22-year-old and just trying to get into that mindset.”

McIlroy was so upbeat, he even took questions about the PGA Tour Players Advisory Council and their thoughts on the future use of greens books. While he did not reveal what the exact discussions are, because those are typically held close to the vest, he did explain why they change the game.

“It’s just taking away a skill that takes time and practice to be mastered,” McIlroy said about the use of the greens books. “I think reading greens is a real skill that some people are better at than others, and it just nullifies that. It nullifies that advantage that people have.”

He also thinks it causes many golfers to spend less time in their preparation for playing each course.  The tradeoff without them that he sees is it could make practice rounds take a bit longer, but he thinks it will speed up play during tournaments if the greens books are removed.

“I think it will help the guys who really have done their homework, it will help them stand out a little bit more.”

This week, there’s little excuse for players not knowing the greens since the course is the site of the Farmers Insurance Open every year on the PGA Tour. It’s a known quantity.

“There’s not really any secrets out there. We all know what to do and how to play it, and it’s just a matter of who can execute over the four days,” he concluded.