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Rory McIlroy believes Firestone Country Club's South Course is set up for him to win his first World Golf Championship title this week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
His recent record in Akron has been good after three consecutive top ten finishes from 2010, and he will tee it up for the first time on Thursday since claiming his third Major crown at Royal Liverpool.
With the US PGA Championship coming up next week too, another solid performance in Ohio would prove ideal preparation for McIloy, who believes both courses over the next fortnight should play into his hands.
“It does seem that this course is going to set up well for me this week,” he said. “It's soft, and it's a long golf course anyway, so it's playing just a bit longer with all the rain that they've had.
“It's a course that I've done pretty well on before and I feel comfortable on, and these next two weeks here and at Valhalla as well, are courses that should set up well for me.”
McIlroy certainly enjoys playing at Firestone Country Club, especially thanks to the fact that with no cut, every player is guaranteed four rounds.
“I think this is one of the best courses we play all year,” he added. “I really look forward to this week as it's a great tournament for the players. I think all of us really enjoy it because of the atmosphere, because you're guaranteed four days of golf, and the fact it's on a great golf course.
“I've obviously had a bit of time to reflect after The Open and everything, but just decided I wanted to move on and move forward as there's a lot of big tournaments left this year, a lot of golf left to play, and a lot of things I still want to achieve.
“I definitely wasn't going to dwell on what I did at Hoylake, and I want to move on and start by playing well again this week.”
Finding his best form after Major success was certainly not a problem for McIlroy two years ago.
He went on to record multiple victories both sides of the Atlantic in the second half of 2012, a run that started with his victory at the US PGA Championship and culminated in a season ending triumph at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai en route to being named European Number One.
“For me, it hasn't been that difficult because I always feel like winning a Major is almost a springboard in a way,” he added. “Especially after the PGA at Kiawah, I didn't want to rest on that.
“I'd already had a pretty good year, but I wanted to just keep going. I set myself a goal that I wanted to win the FedExCup and The Race to Dubai. I also wanted to keep that number one position in the world.
“I think every time you have success, you need to reassess your goals because it's only two‑thirds through the season, and a lot of the goals that I set myself for the start of the year I've achieved already.”
His recent record in Akron has been good after three consecutive top ten finishes from 2010, and he will tee it up for the first time on Thursday since claiming his third Major crown at Royal Liverpool.
With the US PGA Championship coming up next week too, another solid performance in Ohio would prove ideal preparation for McIloy, who believes both courses over the next fortnight should play into his hands.
“It does seem that this course is going to set up well for me this week,” he said. “It's soft, and it's a long golf course anyway, so it's playing just a bit longer with all the rain that they've had.
“It's a course that I've done pretty well on before and I feel comfortable on, and these next two weeks here and at Valhalla as well, are courses that should set up well for me.”
McIlroy certainly enjoys playing at Firestone Country Club, especially thanks to the fact that with no cut, every player is guaranteed four rounds.
“I think this is one of the best courses we play all year,” he added. “I really look forward to this week as it's a great tournament for the players. I think all of us really enjoy it because of the atmosphere, because you're guaranteed four days of golf, and the fact it's on a great golf course.
“I've obviously had a bit of time to reflect after The Open and everything, but just decided I wanted to move on and move forward as there's a lot of big tournaments left this year, a lot of golf left to play, and a lot of things I still want to achieve.
“I definitely wasn't going to dwell on what I did at Hoylake, and I want to move on and start by playing well again this week.”
Finding his best form after Major success was certainly not a problem for McIlroy two years ago.
He went on to record multiple victories both sides of the Atlantic in the second half of 2012, a run that started with his victory at the US PGA Championship and culminated in a season ending triumph at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai en route to being named European Number One.
“For me, it hasn't been that difficult because I always feel like winning a Major is almost a springboard in a way,” he added. “Especially after the PGA at Kiawah, I didn't want to rest on that.
“I'd already had a pretty good year, but I wanted to just keep going. I set myself a goal that I wanted to win the FedExCup and The Race to Dubai. I also wanted to keep that number one position in the world.
“I think every time you have success, you need to reassess your goals because it's only two‑thirds through the season, and a lot of the goals that I set myself for the start of the year I've achieved already.”
