Rory McIlroy admitted he “feels close but also so far away” to the sort of form he needs to end his drought in majors after a scrappy week at the US PGA Championship in which he didn’t play his best stuff but still rallied to finish in a tie for seventh. The Northern Irishman, who last landed one of golf’s marquee titles back at this event in 2014, came into the second men’s major of the year after a missed cut at The Masters which forced him to take a break from the game, with all eyes on him to see how he would fare in his bid to bounce back. Ad He cut a forlorn figure during a ragged front nine on Thursday before kick-starting his recovery with a 35-foot par save that sparked him into life as he salvaged a first-round 71.