Sir Nick Faldo says a return to Royal Liverpool where he won the 2014 Open Championship can provide that extra bit of confidence Rory McIlroy needs to win a fifth Major.
McIlroy was on top of the world in 2014 when he won the Open and PGA Championship back-to-back to kick-off what looked like being a dominance of the sport.
The Northern Irishman has won plenty of tournaments, been World No.1 and topped the money lists in Europe and America since, but has not yet added to his Major tally.
The 34-year-old has gone close, but after winning the Scottish Open in fantastic style, now going back to the course where he won his Claret Jug could be just the boost he needs.
Faldo knows exactly what it’s like coming back to an Open-winning venue, as he claimed the Claret Jug at Muirfield in 1987 and again in 1992 when he returned to the course.
“It’s like saying ‘I own the ring’ isn’t it, ‘you ain’t going to knock me down’,” Faldo said on a pre-Open conference call.
“I felt that way when I came back to Muirfield in 92. I was playing well, was World No.1 and all of that, one of the favourites, so I thought ‘this is my spot, I’m going to defend winning at Muirfield’.
“If you’ve got that feeling like ‘hey I love this place, I know what I’m doing out there and I’m comfortable’ that’s really it.
“I think he’ll feel comfortable again.”
McIlroy most recently came up just short in last year’s Open Championship at St Andrews and this year’s US Open in Los Angeles.
Both times he received some criticism for perhaps playing too conservatively but Faldo, who famously carded 18 pars in his final round to win his first Open at Muirfield, doesn’t agree.
“You can’t just say play more aggressively,” Faldo added. “He’s trying to play every shot as best he can. It’s just that tiny little percentage, that balance between trust and the fear factor in our game – it’s very important.
“It’s not as easy to say I’ll play super aggressive and make it happen – I can promise you he’s trying 100 percent his best, but it’s just those little things that make the difference – the right putt at the right time gives you a cushion, things unfold in a tournament.
“But you have to make your own way – you’ve got to find a way to make a score and dominate and that’s what he’s looking for.”
One area Faldo does think McIlroy can find just an extra edge is to develop more urgency and ruthlessness early on in a final round – should he find himself challenging again at…
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