Rory McIlroy reveals key to winning The Memorial after taking share of lead on moving day
McIlroy has never won the Memorial Tournament before, but he feels he has the key to conquering Muirfield Village.
Rory McIlroy has not won a tournament since the CJ Cup in October 2022.
Since then, he missed the cut at The Players, then again at The Masters, but bounced back with a top 10 at the PGA Championship.
Yet, McIlroy has a share of the lead heading into the final round of The Memorial Tournament.
He feels he has discovered the key to winning at Muirfield Village too.
“This course is playable from the fairways,” McIlroy told Amanda Renner on the CBS broadcast following his round. “I’ve done a good job this week, hitting a lot of 3 woods and irons off the tee... I need to stick to that game plan and not get too aggressive.”
Indeed, McIlroy has flushed his 3-wood and long irons off the tee, which has left him in a good position numerous times.
He ranks second in the field in strokes gained overall this week.
On Saturday, McIlroy shot a 2-under par 70, which included some tough par saves, a chip-in birdie at 12, and a gorgeous birdie at the 17th hole to get him to 6-under for the tournament.
On 17, McIlroy launched a 316-yard 3-wood off the tee, which landed in the middle of the fairway. He then hit a short iron to about seven feet and poured that putt in for birdie.
The 17th, which measures 504 yards, ranks as one of the tougher holes at Muirfield Village, a course that is so difficult because of how firm it is. The Columbus, Ohio area has not received rainfall in more than a week.
The rough remains lush and healthy, putting a premium on finding the fairways. But the fairways are not playing as wide as they look, as tee shots are getting plenty of roll and speed due to their firm conditions. Consequently, plenty of tee balls are running through the fairways and finding the thick stuff.
Hence why McIlroy needs to keep the driver in the bag. He knows it too. He does not need the big stick to power around Muirfield Village, but he must keep the ball in play—his trusty 3-wood will help accomplish that.
But 41 players are within five shots of the lead. Not only will McIlroy have to keep an eye on his tee shots, but he must monitor the leaderboard too.
It should be another fun Sunday at the Memorial.