Rory McIlroy Says He Found a "Feeling" at Oakmont—That Sounds Like Trouble for the Field at the Travelers

Professional golfers are just like us. I can’t remember the last time I had a range session or round of golf where at some point I didn’t say, “I found something.”

A little sick in the head? Yeah, but when Rory McIlroy says the same thing it makes me feel a little better.

“If I can see something or have a feeling that is very repeatable, whether it's—on the range is one thing, but on the golf course is the other,” Mcilroy said ahead of this week's Travelers Championship. “I think the proof is in the pudding there. Definitely last week (at the U.S. Open), I found a feeling, especially off the tee, that was repeatable, that was working well, and I led strokes gained off the tee last week, which was a big thing for me.”

Rory finding a feeling with driver? That feels like that scene from Billy Madison when Adam Sandler says, “Now you’re all in big, big trouble,” right before he starts pummeling little kids with dodgeballs. If that club is clicking around TPC River Highlands, the Northern Irishman is going to give himself a lot of birdie looks, which is essential for any player hoping to contend at the Travelers Championship.

As for being back in Cromwell, Connecticut, McIlroy is excited after missing last year’s edition due to “licking his wounds” from the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

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“I'm excited to be back,” McIlroy said. “The weeks after major championships in these events sometimes when you're in contention and you're trying to win them, it can feel quite difficult to go play the next week. After a week like I had at Oakmont last week, where you're not quite in the mix but you might feel you find something in your game, you're excited to come back and play again. Yeah, looking forward to the week. This is the perfect sort of chaser for what Oakmont was last week, and nice to get out on a golf course where you feel you can make quite a few birdies.”

Rory hasn’t won this event (yet), but he’s finished inside the top 20 every time he’s teed it up: T-17 (2017), T-12 (2018), T-11 (2020), T-19 (2022), and T-7 (2023). Plus, the par-3 eighth is the home of his first-ever ace on the PGA TOUR.

There’s been a lot of talk over the last month or so about Rory finding a new source of motivation after completing the Career Grand Slam at the Masters in April. Maybe rediscovering his confidence with the big-dog will do just that.

He tees off alongside United States Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley at 10:35 a.m. ET on Thursday morning. I’m sure there might be some (trash) talk about Bethpage during their 36 holes together.