Rory McIlroy needs to do these 3 things to snap major drought, win 2024 U.S. Open

Rory McIlroy looked in better spirits than usual on the second hole at Pinehurst this week. Maybe it’s because he and his wife, Erica, are staying together as a family instead of divorcing. That’s a welcome development for the McIlroy family and the golfing world at large.

Still, golf-wise, McIlroy has been doing well this year, winning three tournaments around the world, the first in Dubai and the most recent at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, two hours west of this week’s U.S. Open. He returned to North Carolina full of confidence after finishing tied for 12th at the PGA Championship, tied for fourth in Canada and tied for 15th at the Memorial.

But he hasn’t won a major tournament since beating Phil Mickelson at Valhalla in August 2014 for his fourth major title. That drought is no doubt bothering him, but he has a great chance to win his fifth major this week.

Photo by Jim Watson/Getty Images

McIlroy even said he feels “closer than ever” to achieving that goal.

McIlroy drives the ball a mile off the tee and is considered by many to be the best driver in the history of golf, which will be a big advantage on this 7,548-yard course, where McIlroy hits the “Turtleback Green” with shorter clubs than most others.

But for him to win, the Northern Irishman must achieve three things:

3. Make the most of the par 5s

Pinehurst No. 2 features two par-5 holes, the 588-yard fifth hole and the 617-yard tenth hole.

The fifth hole is one of the trickiest greens on the facility, with a tough fake green and no room to miss left, something McIlroy has struggled with at times this season.

On the other hand, 10 days is by no means inferior.

But McIlroy will have to rely on his distance to take advantage of those holes that offer a chance to improve his score.Martin Kaymer had two birdies and an eagle on the fifth hole to win the 2014 U.S. Open by eight strokes.

The 10th hole, which has the largest green on the course, was rated the third easiest hole in 2014.

Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images

But despite his driving prowess, McIlroy is 61st in par-5 scoring on the PGA Tour this year, and unlike number one ranked Scottie Scheffler, he hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunities to score like he should.

McIlroy also couldn’t capitalize on the par-5s in the final round at Los Angeles Country Club last year, losing by one stroke to Wyndham Clark. McIlroy bogeyed the par-5 14th hole and finished the day at even par on all three par-5s at Los Angeles Country Club.

He can’t let that happen again if he wants to win this year, and taking advantage of the par 5s is essential given the few opportunities on this course.

2. Be patient

McIlroy missed the cut in the U.S. Open three times in a row from 2016 to 2018.

“I really struggled at the U.S. Open, especially in 2016, 2017 and 2018,” McIlroy said Tuesday.

“Then I kind of had a moment of self-reflection and really tried to understand why that was and that my performances since 2019 have been really, really good.”

McIlroy has had some impressive results at the U.S. Open since then, finishing ninth, eighth, seventh and fifth, and finishing sole second a year ago.

So what was that “God awakening moment”?

“I would say embrace the challenges, embrace the style of golf that’s needed to compete at the U.S. Open and embrace perseverance,” McIlroy said.

Photo: Alex Slits/Getty Images

“To be honest, I think we should embrace what we used to call ‘boring.’ You can’t win the U.S. Open with just explosiveness. It’s more important to systematically build up your score over the four days and be satisfied with that.”

Patience will be key on the second hole at Pinehurst this week, and McIlroy knows he’ll have to be patient all week, but that’s easier said than done.

You can’t be aggressive on some of these holes or the ball will roll off the green, which can lead to double bogeys, and double bogeys and three-putts are things you have to avoid to win the U.S. Open.

Players will make bogeys, including McIlroy, but bogeys are tolerable. Worse bogeys are not tolerable.

1. Gaining strokes in field putting

Brookline Country Club, St. Andrews and Los Angeles Country Club are three courses where McIlroy could have ended his two-year drought without a major win.

But his putter let him down.

McIlroy had plenty of chances on those three courses but just couldn’t convert them. That statement has rang true this season, as McIlroy has struggled at times with the flat stick. His strokes gained in putting is 39th on the tour, which is certainly above average but nothing to brag about.

At the PGA Championship, McIlroy ranked 50th in putting strokes gained, one week after winning the Wells Fargo Championship, he was tied for 12th that week on the course where he won his last major championship.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images

In winning by five strokes at Quail Hollow, McIlroy was fourth among the field with more than four strokes gained on the greens. He made more putts, which was a big factor in his victory.

So to win this week, McIlroy has to make putts. Whoever makes the best putts and keeps the golf ball out of trouble will be the winner. But more specifically, McIlroy needs to make putts from 4 to 8 feet, a distance that ranks him 66th on the PGA Tour this season. He’s made 71 percent of his putts from that distance this year, but he’ll need to improve on that figure this week at the U.S. Open.

Either way, for McIlroy, who is as talented from tee to green as any player in the world, it’s all about the putter — and more specifically, he needs to make putts inside 10 feet to give him an edge over the field.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.