Although nine years is a long time to go in between Major wins, Sir Nick Faldo believes a mental reset and a little sharpening of his short game can get Rory McIlroy a fifth Major triumph at the 151st Open Championship.
A long time has passed since McIlroy won the Open and PGA Championship in the space of a month back in 2014 - and he's sampled agonising near-misses on more than a few occasions since.
Working against that build-up of scar tissue - McIlroy returns to where he lifted the Claret Jug at Hoylake nine years ago on the back of a scintillating Scottish Open victory.
And three-time Open champion Faldo says that the Northern Irishman almost needs to treat the present like he's starting a new career, hitting the reset button mentally to start winning Majors again.
"You’ve got two sides because you’ve got nine years which is a long time, not many players go nine years – but he’s so talented, it’s not like his game's gone down," said Faldo.
"He really is so talented that if he can (win another Major) if he can just almost hit the reset button – that was his one career, right, start again."
Faldo says that McIlroy, now aged 34, is right in his prime and still has plenty of time to add to his Major tally - but also thinks he'd benefit from pushing things like LIV Golf debates and other things aside and just focusing on golf.
"He’s still in is prime, my goodness, he’s in his prime age," added Faldo. "He’s just got to find that little bit of trust and determination and fend off everybody else.
"It’s a great time to be playing golf with so many good players. But you’ve got to play against yourself first – three days playing against yourself before you then take on the rest of the guys and what scores they’re shooting.
"But I’ve got kind of a good vibe that he can pull another one out, because why not?
"He’s in the prime of his career really – just push all the other stuff aside and when you’re on the golf course just be a golfer. I think he’s got a hell of a chance."
Short game key for McIlroy's chances
Some say McIlroy played too passively when leading in the final rounds of last year's Open and this year's US Open, others have pointed to putting and other aspects, but Faldo has his own theory.
The six-time Major champion says McIlroy has to try and stick his wedges and approach shots much closer, even the bad ones, to give him more makeable birdie looks more often.
"He’s probably winding himself up a bit with his wedge play," Faldo explained. "It’s the quality of the bad shots, where the poor shots go.
"I was on the TV at the US Open, and the number of times I would say 'this must be so demoralising' he hits it 320 then hits a wedge to 60 feet and three putts it – that’s such a killer to a pro.
"If he avoids that, and if his bad wedge shot is to 20 feet, then you’re absolutely laughing – and I think that’s got to be his goal, do everything the same then just really hone that short game."
The only man to win the Scottish Open, Irish Open and Open Championship 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/1TSVakhULaJuly 17, 2023
And as for the scar tissue from those near misses, Faldo says to turn them into positives as McIlroy's consistency will see him create more chances for himself going forward.
"It ends up being a full autopsy from finishing second! But I'd rather be finishing second – Brooks Koepka finished down the pack at the US Open and said he wasn’t playing well and didn’t like the course and that was it – but Rory finishes second and we want a stewards enquiry.
"But I'd rather be finishing second and learning from that – what can I take, how close was my game, how did I feel.
"He knows how to take it up a notch to what he really needs to pull it off so I’ve got to believe he’s in a good place.
"He’s got some scar tissue - but he needs to delete as many of those as possible and play in the present time
"The last nine years have been incredible he’s had so many good chances so it must hurt."
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