Rory McIlroy Reveals Mindset After Masters Victory Ahead of PGA Championship and U.S. Open

Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action this week at the Truist Championship with renewed motivation following his Masters victory, saying he feels “more motivated” than ever heading into a major stretch that includes the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

McIlroy skipped the RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship after winning at Augusta National last month. The six-time major champion is now back at Quail Hollow, a course where he has won four times, preparing for the PGA Championship outside Philadelphia and later summer majors at Shinnecock Hills and Royal Birkdale.

The Northern Irish golfer said the Masters win validated years of work to return to major-winning form, but also changed how he views the next phase of his career.

“I felt like winning the Grand Slam was like this was going to be this life-changing thing and in some ways it was,” McIlroy said during his Truist Championship press conference. “But in other ways I had to remember like no I still have a lot of my career left and I want to keep playing and keep competing.”

Rory McIlroy Discusses Motivation After Masters Victory

GettyRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland with the Masters Trophy

McIlroy explained that after allowing himself time to enjoy the Masters win, his focus quickly shifted back toward competition and preparation for the rest of the season.

“So this year was I think winning was validation for all the work that I’ve put in over the last few years to get myself back to this place where I’m winning Majors,” McIlroy said. “I’m excited for the road ahead.”

McIlroy added that he believes he is entering the next stretch of the season with even more motivation than before.

“You know, I’m excited for this week,” he said. “I’m excited for Rahm next week, Shinnecock, Birkdale. You know, like I, I feel like if anything, I’m more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I’ve ever been.”

The PGA Tour star also reflected on the time he spent away from competition after Augusta. McIlroy said he enjoyed being home and spending time with family before returning to practice.

“It’s been really nice to spend time at home,” McIlroy said. “I gave myself a good 10 days to enjoy myself and then thought I needed to get back on the range and start to practice and get ready for this stretch coming up.”

McIlroy attended a State Dinner at the White House honoring King Charles III and also took a trip to New York with his wife, Erica, during his time off.

At Quail Hollow, McIlroy returns to one of the most successful venues of his PGA Tour career. He won his first PGA Tour event there in 2010 and has collected four victories at the Charlotte course overall.

“I feel like I’ve gotten more out of this golf tournament than I’ve given back to it in a way,” McIlroy said. “It’s amazing how the community rallies behind this event.”

Rory McIlroy Makes Equipment Changes Before Truist Championship

GettyRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland

Along with discussing his mindset, McIlroy revealed he made several equipment adjustments ahead of his return to competition.

McIlroy said he switched back to a TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood after previously replacing it earlier this season because of performance concerns.

“I noticed that it just had a little bit of a left bias in it,” McIlroy said about the original Qi4D model.

He later used an older Qi10 fairway wood but said it did not produce enough spin.

“It’s more like a mini driver than a 3-wood,” McIlroy said. “It sort of spins like 2,700, it’s pretty fast.”

According to McIlroy, TaylorMade representatives worked with him last week on new options, including a fresh set of prototype irons and another 3-wood setup.

“So they brought a couple of 3-wood options along and I landed on this one,” McIlroy said. “It doesn’t have that left bias I was seeing with the old 4D 3-wood. And it’s got a nice consistent spin rate sort of like 3,200, which is what I like to see.”

McIlroy also reflected on the range session with longtime caddie Harry Diamond during Masters week that helped him recover from a difficult Saturday round at Augusta.

“To be able to go there with Harry, figure out a couple of things, and figure it out in a way that I didn’t have a Trackman, I didn’t have a video,” McIlroy said. “I was really proud of that because Saturday was a struggle.”

McIlroy begins the Truist Championship paired with Matt Fitzpatrick as he prepares for another major championship run.

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