Rory McIlroy Sends Five-Word Message About His Game at Travelers Championship originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
After struggling to build on the high of his Masters win that completed the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy produced some encouraging signs in the first round of the Travelers Championship on Thursday.
McIlroy shot a six-under-par 64 at TPC at River Highlands, a number that sees him trail Scottie Scheffler and Austin Eckroat by two strokes after the opening 18 holes.
The Northern Irishman has regularly skipped press conferences in recent weeks while conceding he has struggled for motivation in the wake of his victory at Augusta.
But, after finishing the US Open with a three-under-par final round at Oakmont, McIlroy looked much more at ease as he put himself in a strong position to challenge for a 30th PGA Tour title.
Speaking to NBC Sports after his round, McIlroy was asked how far away he is from the player who won The Players Championship and The Masters. McIlroy replied: “Not far away at all.
“I’ve always said when your game does feel far away, it’s probably never that far away. I found a good feeling with my swing and with the driver that weekend before US Open. And that’s sort of the thought that I’m going with into these next few months.I definitely have seen a little bit of an uptick in form and quality of shots since then.
On what worked for him in the first round of the Travelers, McIlroy said: “I feel like I played well on Sunday at Oakmont. I felt like I was a little bit of a confidence builder coming into this week. Today was just a continuation of that.
“Felt like I hit the ball well off the tee for the most part. And when you do that around this course, you’re gonna give yourself plenty of opportunities.
“Oakmont was a tough week. Canadian Open before that was a tough week. I think for me finding something that works off the tee, that when that happens in my game, I think it sort of just bleeds through everything else and I feel a lot more comfortable with where my game is. That’s what sort of happened.
“I feel like I honestly turned the corner that weekend off Canada when I went home to Florida, did a couple of good practice sessions. And certainly went to Oakmont with a better idea of where my game was.
“Unfortunately it just took a few days to get to where I wanted it to be. But it was nice to see some improvements on Sunday. And as I said, it’s good to see a carry through into this week.”
With The Open Championship around the corner at Royal Portrush, McIlroy’s words should be ominous ones for his rivals as he seeks to win the final major of the year next month.
Related: $65 Million Golfer Withdraws From Travelers Championship
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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