Rory McIlroy has played in the Big Jack Memorial Tournament 13 times, with five top-10 finishes and four top-20 finishes. This record on one of the game’s flashiest stages is one that most players would welcome, but of course McIlroy is not most players. He has won 30 times on the PGA Tour, six major titles and a career Grand Slam. He’s arrived at a place where he doesn’t just aim to win tournaments, he aims to win the right tournaments. Kindness of the tournament. major. National begins. Events hosted by or affiliated with Legends.
“The Tiger events here and at Riviera are two games I want to win,” McIlroy said Wednesday.
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Tiger’s tournament is the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, where McIlroy remains winless in 10 attempts. “Here” is this week’s Memorial in Muirfield Village, Ohio, where McIlroy is 0-for-13. “I always thought it would be great to win here and walk a little bit up the hill from the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy and Nicklaus’ relationship goes back nearly 20 years. I was a mentee and a mentor, a fellow GOAT and a South Floridian, a buddy I sometimes met for lunch at the Bears Club. During a break a few years ago, McIlroy walked Nicklaus through how he planned to attack Augusta National at that year’s Masters. “I’m not going to change anything,” Nicklaus told him. “I think that’s exactly the way you should play.” Before this year’s Masters, Nicklaus spotted McIlroy during practice and offered further advice. “I put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘No double bogey,'” Nicklaus said.
McIlroy carded a few doubles, but Nicklaus’ message still got through. “Don’t be a dummy.” By following that strategy, McIlroy won his second consecutive green jacket.
Now, the story returns to Muirfield Village. What wisdom did Nicklaus give McIlroy about how to manage Nicklaus’ masterpiece?
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“He hasn’t asked me anything,” Nicklaus said Tuesday.
But reporters specifically asked if Nicklaus had any theories about why McIlroy hasn’t won yet at Muirfield. Niklaus gave a thoughtful answer.
“I think this golf course is one that really requires patience,” he said. “We didn’t design it for big hitters, we didn’t design it for short hitters, we didn’t design it for middle hitters. We tried to design it to be considerate to everyone and give all kinds of players a fair shake. And once you get it, you can’t just stand up and bang every hole.”
This “grab and tear” approach is how a younger Nicklaus once tried to break out his design (unsuccessfully), and it’s not hard to imagine a younger, bolder McIlroy entering the MVGC with the same mentality. But over time, McIlroy, like Nicklaus, learned that his driver — at least when it came to distance off the tee — was no good at Muirfield. That’s because the fairway narrows his landing zone.
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“It’s frustrating in a way because I feel like my biggest weapon was somehow neutralized here,” McIlroy said. “And I have to play on the golf course like most everyone else on the field.”
In other words, strategically — Identify the best leaves at the best angle to the green and control the flight and spin of those approaches.
Nicklaus said the greens are reasonable, especially for players who prefer to close their irons back (see: most modern tour pros). “Takes 3, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 18,” Nicklaus said. “What happens if you spin the ball off the green? Not a good result.”
What are the alternatives? Change your trajectory, Nicklaus said. That’s what he learned to do at Muirfield and at Augusta National, another ballpark that became synonymous with him. “I think Augusta is also a trajectory golf course,” Nicklaus said.
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McIlroy is the maestro of Toraj. Really, he can do whatever he wants with a golf ball. At Muirfield, all you have to do is try your best to hit the shots the course demands. If McIlroy can follow that formula, he might get a warm handshake from his friends in the Bears club in the near future.
“I want to see Rory play well here,” Nicklaus said.
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