RORY McILROY is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to overcome ‘impossible’ Oakmont and prosper at the US Open.
McIlroy is looking to shake off a hangover from his US Masters triumph in April.
But it will not be easy at the unforgiving Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, characterised by notoriously thick rough, especially as the 36-year-old is battling driver issues.
He missed the cut when the US Open was last played here in 2016 and shot an 81 in Monday’s practice round.
McIlroy joked: “I’m glad we have spotters up there because I played last Monday and you hit a ball off the fairway and you were looking for a good couple of minutes just to find it.
“It’s very penal if you miss. Sometimes it’s penal if you don’t miss.
“But the person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that’s going to win.
“There’s definitely been a little bit of rain since I played. Last Monday felt impossible.
“I birdied the last two holes for 81. It felt pretty good.
“It didn’t feel like I played that bad. It’s much more benign right now than it was that Monday.
“They had the pins in dicey locations, and greens were running fast. It was nearly impossible.
“If you put it in the fairway, it’s certainly playable.
“But then you just have to think about leaving your ball below the hole and just trying to make as many pars as you can.
“You get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that’s a bonus.”
The club’s own website labels it “The Ultimate Examination of Championship Golf”.
But it is fair to say other descriptions of Oakmont have not been so flattering.
McIlroy’s form has fallen off a cliff since winning the Masters in April[/caption]
Bryson DeChambeau — who pipped McIlroy to US Open glory last year — called it the “toughest golf course in the world right now”.
He said: “You have to hit the fairways and you have to hit the greens.
You have to two-putt in the worst-case scenario.
“When you’ve got those putts inside ten feet, you’ve got to make them.
“It’s a great test of golf. I think everyone knows it’s the toughest golf course in the world right now.”
