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McIlroy thinks media more 'desperate' for his next major than he is
Rory McIlroy came close to winning the British Open B-flight on Sunday.
With a closing 4-under 67, the Ulsterman ended an unfiltered and, at times, unhinged week at Royal Troon in a tie for fifth place. His 4-under total for the week left him two shots behind J.B. Holmes for third place and a shot behind 49-year-old part-timer Steve Stricker, who finished alone in fourth. McIlroy finished 16 shots behind winner Henrik Stenson and 13 behind Championship Flight runner-up Phil Mickelson.
So ends the seventh consecutive major since McIlroy completed back-to-back major wins at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla in Kentucky. The fact isn’t lost on the 27-year-old, but he’s also not as concerned about when he’ll break this dry spell as he feels the media are.
“Look, I want to win. I want to play well,” McIlroy said. “I think you guys are more desperate for it to happen than I am. But I’m happy with everything. I’m happy with where my game’s at. All I can do is keep plugging away. I feel like it’s definitely heading in the right direction.”
The good news for McIlroy is that there’s another major in less than two weeks, with the PGA Championship moving up from its traditional early August date to accommodate golf’s Olympic tournaments.
“I feel like good things are happening,” he said. “If I can drive the ball like I did this week at Baltusrol and sharpen up a few bits and pieces, I think I’ll be right there.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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