McIlroy was a month away from turning professional when Southern Hills last hosted the US PGA in 2007, with Tiger Woods claiming his 13th major title during a heatwave which sent temperatures soaring into triple digits.
But instead of copying Woods and taking a scouting trip to the venue, which has been renovated by architect Gil Hanse in recent years, McIlroy did his research via videos posted online before travelling to Oklahoma on Monday.
“Yesterday (Monday) was the first time seeing the golf course. I really liked it,” McIlroy said.
“I didn’t know what this place was like before Gil got his hands on it, but I think he’s done a wonderful job with it. Love the green complexes. I love that he gives you options off the tee.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of different strategies this week, guys hitting drivers where maybe other guys aren’t and vice versa. It’s a really good track. I really enjoyed playing it and I think it’s going to be a wonderful test this week.
“The Fried Egg (twitter account) did a little video with Gil that they sent out there so I watched that. Then I think Golf Digest had a few flyovers of the golf course and I tried to dig up some footage of last year’s Senior PGA (Championship), but it was pretty limited.
“I’ve won a couple of major championships where I’ve played nine holes on Tuesday, nine holes on Wednesday and sort of teed it up and played really well. Sometimes not knowing where the trouble is, ignorance is bliss in some ways.
“For me I’ll take execution over preparation any day. If you’re executing the shots and you’re hitting the ball well and the ball is going where you’re looking, that’s more than half the battle.”
McIlroy, whose last major victory came in the 2014 US PGA at
Read more on msn.com
msn.com
