“To my mind, he has not peaked yet” - LIV Golf’s Lee Westwood shares his take on Rory McIlroy’s nine-year major drought
As Rory McIlroy nears completing a decade without a major win, LIV Golf star Lee Westwood has come out to give his take on the matter. The former World no.1 addressed McIlroy’s chances of ending his wait for a fifth major title and said that the Irishman will win the Masters next year.
Westwood, who leads the Majesticks GC side on LIV Golf, exuded confidence in is his former Ryder Cup teammate. According to him, McIlroy still has his best years ahead of him, despite the major drought. The 50-year-old even compared his career graph to the Irishman’s and said that the latter has “not peaked yet.”
Writing for the Daily Telegraph about Rory McIlroy and his major drought, Lee Westwood said:
"Rory will now go into a 10th season without having won a major, but to my mind he has not peaked yet and fared ridiculously well to win four majors before he was 25. I did not play my best golf until I was in my late 30s. I got to world No. 1 and yes, I was given pelters from the US for somehow not being worthy of the moniker - and I believe Rory will be the same."
Lee Westwood’s optimistic comment came after McIlroy's near miss at The Open Championship last week. The World no.2 golfer finished tied for sixth in the last major of the year at Hoylake. McIlroy extended his good form by finishing in the top 10 for the seventh time in his last eight major outings. It is pertinent to note that his last major win came in the 2014 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.
pic.twitter.com/Co2q7CZCxx
A closing 68 for Rory at the Open. He fought hard all week, but will once again come up short.
This will be his 7th top-10 finish in his last 8 majors. Now, we wait for the 2024 Masters tournament. Onwards 📈 pic.twitter.com/Co2q7CZCxx
The 34-year-old will get his next shot at a major at the Masters in Augusta next April. According to Westwood, Rory McIlroy will win the event and wear the coveted green jacket, ending his decade-long drought.
The LIV Golfer added:
"He is so consistent and should carry on what he is doing. I honestly have a feeling that he will win the Masters in April and I’m not sure I’ve felt that way before. Rory just seems on that path and one day, it will all click and he will walk away with another major - Harman style.”
Rory McIlroy shifts focus to Ryder Cup after missing out on The Open
Rory McIlroy missed out on his fifth major title last week as Brian Harman won The Open and lifted the Claret Jug. Speaking at the Royal Liverpool, the Irishman dubbed his outing as being “forgettable.” However, he went on to note that he has “a lot of golf to play this year" and hinted at changing his focus to the Ryder Cup.
Rory McIlroy said, via Sky Sports:
"My confidence is high. I'm playing well. I want to try to be right in there and win another FedEx cup. I still have Dubai to win and obviously the Ryder Cup. After what happened at whistling Straits Personally for me and the rest of the team, I don't think we could be any more motivated to go to room and win that Ryder Cup back."
It’ll be interesting to see how the golfer fares at the international event in Rome.