With two wins on the US PGA Tour earlier in the year, Scott would become a contender for US tour player of the year should he win the PGA Championship’s Wanamaker trophy.
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Meanwhile, McIlroy is targeting a win this weekend to prevent him from going two years without a major, having won his fourth title at the 2014 PGA Championship. “Give yourself as many birdie chances as possible”.
The hurt and disappointment wasn’t because Mickelson missed out on either his sixth major or his first win since the 2013 British Open.
“It’s time to move on a little bit from what we did in April”, he said.
The Belfast native does not begrudge Willett, Johnson and Stenson their moments of glory.
“Yeah, I’d love to sit here and say I’m going to win a Major every year for the next number of years. I have to play my best golf, but I definitely think it’s attainable”. If you can win one of the four every year… if you’re that good, you can do that. There’s no reason to think that I can’t do that for the foreseeable future. We’ve seen in the past that is achievable.
“You have got to drive the ball well”, said McIlroy.
As a result of his maiden major at the US Open, Johnson has now been catapulted into a “big four” – but Sheffield-born Willett believes this year’s results prove there is a wide spectrum of players who can compete with the elite.
“I felt good [at Royal Troon]”.
The 40-year-old Swede, who outdueled Phil Mickelson down the back nine to claim the Claret Jug at Royal Troon, has enjoyed a whirlwind life since taking the crown.
McIlroy’s tied-fifth finish paled by comparison in his own eyes, although he accepted he could not influence the outcome after his 69, 71 in the first two rounds.
While that didn’t happen in 2015, a maiden victory at the Barracuda Championship a fortnight before The Open may just have done the trick and at 42 the mix of experience and confidence Chalmers brings to the table should be a flawless recipe for Major Championship golf. That can only give you motivation and get the juices flowing.
Golf is a fickle game at the top level and a bad third round at Oakmont cost the Victorian a chance to contend Sunday at the US Open however, despite that, his T18 was his best career finish in that event.
The hectic major golf season comes to a close with the PGA Championship at venerable Baltusrol Golf Club starting on Thursday, a classic course where accuracy with the driver could be the key to victory.
He then travelled to Baltusrol and is happy that the set up of the course fits his eye and his game.
“We still laugh about that”, Mickelson said in a news conference Tuesday. And I feel like that’s one of the strengths of my game and if I can hole the putts that I need to I will do really well. There’s no real hidden secrets to it. And I feel that’s what really lets me excel.
“But I like the way everything has gone since the Open Championship in practice and in play here”, he said. This course is by no means “easy” but some records have been set here for lowest aggregate score at a tournament.
“I had some really good practice sessions with my coach, Michael Bannon last week”.
That wasn’t lost on McIlroy as he blasted a 345-yard drive off the first tee in the long drive competition and made his way around the course.
The victor gets a gold money clip and $25,000 to donate to his favourite charity.
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McIlroy also has added motivation to get into contention and earn a late tee time for Sunday’s final round, revealing he has tickets to watch Belfast man Carl Frampton’s world title boxing fight on Saturday: “If everything goes to plan, I will be able to get to the Barclays Centre [in nearby New York] to cheer him on”, McIlroy added.
