. Rory McIlroy called the PGA Tour course in Connecticut ‘outdated’ and claimed the low Travelers Championship score only bolsters the argument for why the governing bodies are right in their plan to curb the absurd distances thrown by the pros. the ball.
McIlroy finished tied for seventh on 18 under after a final 64 at TPC River Highlands and although he was happy with his form ahead of heading to England for the Open next month, there was still a note. of dissatisfaction because of the last PGA Tour birdie-fest which saw Keegan Bradley win the 23 under par.
“I don’t particularly like it when a tournament is like this,” McIlroy said after a round with seven birdies and a bogey.
“Unfortunately, technology has passed that milestone, hasn’t it? once, like the conversations going back to, you know, limiting the golf ball and stuff like that, when we get to courses like this, they don’t present the challenge that they used to.
McIlroy is one of the few big names to have backed the R&A and US Golf Association’s plans to impose restrictions on the ball. The regulations are due to be introduced in early 2025 and would see average driving distances for heavy hitters such as McIlroy reduced by up to 15 metres.
McIlroy is not a fan of “fixing” courses to fight heavy hitters. “You can push hard and hope to get firm conditions for it to get tough,” he said. “I think the blueprint for a great golf course is not to make the grounds bigger and the fairways tight. It brings everyone together. When you get soft conditions like this and you have the best players, that’s what’s going to happen.
McIlroy accepts that his opinion is not the prevailing one in the locker room. “I know that’s a really unpopular opinion among my peers, but I think it’s going to help identify the best players a little easier,” he said when announcing the proposals this year.
“Especially in this era of parity. Some have said, “Golf has been dumbed down at the elite level,” and I totally agree. I think you’re going to see people with more comprehensive games succeeding more easily than what the game has become, which is a bit of a “bomb and gouge” over the past few years.
The check for more than £500,000 confirmed that McIlroy had edged out Dustin Johnson for third all-time PGA Tour earner, having taken in more than $75million. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be hard to catch as our 1 and 2 respectively, but McIlroy is only 34 and with prices skyrocketing due to the influx of Saudi money, he has the opportunity to pass the two.
However, McIlroy’s focus is purely on the next major. “I have two weeks off then in Scotland and I will be ready for the Open,” he said.
Leona Maguire is absent
At the Women’s PGA, the second woman major of the season, McIlroy’s compatriot Leona Maguire failed in her bid to make history as the first Irish woman to win a major after having the advantage overnight, while filming a three on 74 in Baltusrol, New Jersey.
The 28-year-old held a one-shot lead going into the final round but fell through the pack to finish 11th with four under. It turned out Stephanie Meadow took Irish honours, with a 70 that gave her third place, two behind winner Ruoning Yin, and boosted Ulsterwoman’s hopes of making the squad for the Solheim European Cup for the game against the United States in Spain in September. .
Yin, 20, staged a ball-striking clinic, hitting all greens in regulation time for a four-under closing round of 67 to become only China’s second major winner, following Shanshan Feng’s victory at the Women’s PGA in 2012.
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