McIlroy feels for Spieth in Grand Slam bid
Rory McIlroy feels for Jordan Spieth as he prepares to make his eighth attempt to complete the career Grand Slam at next week's PGA Championship.
Spieth added the 2017 Open to his wins in the Masters and the US Open in 2015, and McIlroy admits that trying to complete the Grand Slam at different venues is a big challenge.
"It's hard," McIlroy said on the eve of the $20 million signature event Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he is joined by Shane Lowry.
"You have to go back to the same tournament every year for Jordan, but not the same golf course.
"I think it's a bit of a different proposition for him rather than me having to go back to the same venue every year."
McIlroy believes the weight of history is possibly an even bigger challenge.
"Consciously or subconsciously, you feel that," McIlroy said. "I said this to people, the worst I felt on Sunday at Augusta was probably when I holed the birdie putt on 10 to go four ahead because I'm like, oh, I really can't mess this up now. There's that pressure.
"You know that you're not just trying to win another tournament; you're trying to become part of history, and that has a certain weight to it. I've certainly felt that at Augusta over the years.
"I'm sure Jordan has felt that a bit going into each PGA that he's had a chance to do the same thing."
On the DP World Tour, rookie Conor Purcell will be looking to build on back-to-back top 20 finishes in the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya.
Purcell graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour, where 11th-ranked Liam Nolan continues his quest for one of 20 DP World Tour cards in the Challenge de España at Fontanals in Girona alongside Max Kennedy, Mark Power, Alex Maguire, Jack Madden, Jonathan Caldwell and Dermot McElroy.
Leona Maguire plays the LPGA Tour's Mizuho Americas Open in Jersey City as Lauren Walsh and rookies Anna Foster and Annabel Wilson will be looking to build on strong starts to the season in the Aramco Korea Championship on the Ladies European Tour from tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Malone's Matt McClean begins his bid to retain the Flogas Irish Men's Amateur Open Championship at Seapoint, where the top 50 plus ties qualify for Sunday's final round.
