Rory McIlroy will be looking to get back to winning ways at the Travelers Championship. To do so, though, he will have to conquer a course, he isn’t a particular fan of.
Recent weeks have seen the Northern Irishman struggle to recapture the form that saw him triumph at Augusta earlier this year.
McIlroy has even skipped tournaments in a bid to rediscover that winning touch, but has yet to do so.
Scottie Scheffler won the Travelers Championship last year, and McIlroy will be hoping he can do the same at Cromwell this time around.
The 36-year-old’s chances of winning may face one stumbling block, though – that being his apparent dislike of the TPC River Highlands course.
Rory McIlroy isn’t a fan of Travelers Championship course
McIlroy’s career has been glittered with memorable wins – none, however, have come at the Travelers Championship.
Despite never finishing outside of the top 20 at the tournament, the Northern Irishman is yet to get his hands on the trophy.
So, when it comes to finding the reason behind that lack of silverware, the course itself may provide some answers.
That is because after finishing tied seventh back in 2023, McIlroy wasn’t very complimentary about the Cromwell-based course, claiming it had become too outdated, which had made it too easy for top players.
“I don’t particularly like when a tournament is like this,” McIlroy told reporters post-tournament.
“Unfortunately, technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had.
“So, again, like the conversations going back to, you know, limiting the golf ball and stuff like that, when we come to courses like this they just don’t present the challenge that they used to.”
McIlroy optimistic ahead of 2025 Travelers Championship
Now, two years from those quotes, McIlroy enters the Travelers Championship this weekend, having to overcome his problems with the host course.
Speaking to reporters prior to the tournament, the grand slam winner revealed he’s feeling optimistic ahead of tee-off.
“I don’t think it’s one shot, it’s the repeatability of shots. If I can see something or have a feeling that is very repeatable… I think proof is in the pudding.
“I definitely found a feeling last week, especially off the tee, that was repeatable. That was working well. I led strokes gained off the tee last week which was a big thing for me. I thought I drove the ball well all week last week.
“I think the weeks after major championships sometimes when you’re in contention and you’re trying to win them, it can feel quite difficult to go play the next week.
“After a week like I had at Oakmont, where you’re not quite in the mix but you might feel you find something in your game, you’re excited to come back and play.”