McIlroy working hard to regain his form

Rory McIlroy is making no apologies for savouring the biggest accomplishment of his career, but insists Oakmont Country Club has his full attention this week.

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Since claiming his first Masters title in dramatic fashion in April, McIlroy’s form has fallen off precipitously. After a tie for seventh at the Truist Championship, he tied for 47th at the PGA Championship before missing the cut by 12 shots last week in Canada, where he finished better than only four players.

“You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don’t think about what comes next,” McIlroy said on Tuesday ahead of this week's US Open outside of Pittsburgh. “I think chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit. But here at Oakmont, I certainly can’t relax this week.”

McIlroy missed the cut by two shots the last time the US Open was contested at Oakmont in 2016, carding a 77 and a 71 to finish 8 over.

“Don't really remember much about 2016. I think I just tried to erase it from the memory bank,” he joked.

McIlroy called Oakmont “a big brute of a golf course” that will test every club in the bag.