McIlroy looking to the positives after PGA disappointment

It's unlike Rory McIlroy not to talk to the media after a round but the 33-year-old skipped his duties after the final round of the PGA Championship after his 8th-place finish at Southern Hills.

McIlroy led after day one after shooting a five-under 65, the score which would eventually play off for the title. On Saturday he slipped to a 74 and he was unable to do what Justin Thomas did and turn around a huge deficit on the Sunday.

"Regrets? Yeah I regret I didn't take advantage of the benign conditions on Friday (when he shot 71)," he told the Irish Independent. "I regret the big numbers I made on the par 3s on Saturday.

But there is still plenty to look forward to and with a lot of optimism. If a corner did need to be turned it surely has been now and we can all look forward to McIlroy being in the hunt for a fifth major title and then hopefully some more. At Augusta he was second on his own so, two majors in, he has two top 10s and real sniffs of winning.

“That’s a completely different story to where I was the last couple of years. The first two majors of last year, I missed the cut at Augusta and I finished like 50th at the PGA. I have to take the positives – and the fact that eighth place in a major is absolutely the worst I feel I could've finished last week.

"I just have to stay as patient as possible. I know that if I keep playing the golf that I'm playing the chances are going to present themselves. I'm going to give myself a few more chances this year, not just to win majors but to win golf tournaments in general."

His preparations for The Open will consist of playing some links golf rather than the Irish Open at Mount Juliet but he will join a star-studded field which includes Tiger Woods in the two-day JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor, home of the 2027 Ryder Cup, in Limerick.