Rory McIlroy commits to play FedEx St. Jude Classic before the U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy usually prefers to not play week before a major championship. But the way the last couple of starts have gone, it shouldn't come as surprise that the 23-year-old is mixing things up a bit ahead of his U.S. Open title, adding the FedEx St. Jude Classic to his schedule.
"In Heathrow about to go to the US. Excited about the next 3 weeks! Memorial, Memphis and then defend the US Open in San Fran," McIlroy tweeted on Monday before heading back to the U.S.
Even though McIlroy won't have the added benefit of getting an early look at Olympic Club prior to the Open, after missing back-to-back cuts at the Players Championship and BMW PGA Championship, he admitted that what he's lacking at the moment is additional work on the course.
"I just feel like I've lacked competitive rounds a little bit," McIlroy said, after missing the cut last week at Wentworth. "I'm still confident in my abilities. It's just a matter of working hard and trying to bring it up a level from where it has been the last couple of weeks."
Playing the Memorial and FedEx St. Jude Classic means McIlroy will be playing four straight weeks when he tees it up in San Francisco, but at this point, the only thing that really matter is working out the kinks and getting the game in back to the level it was at earlier in the year.
It's impossible to say if adding an additional tournament to the schedule -- something McIlroy said he wasn't considering last week -- makes all the difference. However, based on the way he's been playing recently, the big thing McIlroy needs right now is a confidence boost.
If he doesn't get it this week at the Memorial, at least he's giving himself one final shot to get everything in order before he heads to the Bay Area.
