When Rory McIlroy won the last of his majors, in 2014, Jack Nicklaus declared he would go on to win 15 to 20 of them.
At the time, the declaration did not seem so far-fetched, but now 34 majors have passed without him winning one — 3,265 days to this point — and 21 first-time major winners have emerged over that period.
And yet he has been there or thereabouts throughout. Since that US PGA win in 2014, no player has been so consistent in golf’s big four, McIlroy finishing in the top 10 in 19 majors.
But he has not been able to convert such positions, be that in last year’s Masters or similarly the previous Open, where he shared the lead going into the final round, did not miss a green in his final 18 holes and still could not beat Cameron Smith.
It seems that no major now goes by without mention of McIlroy ending his long wait. In nearly a decade of facing such questioning, it is perhaps unsurprising that he has opted to duck his media duties for a second successive tournament.
The message is again to let his golf do the talking rather than discuss the near misses or the trials and tribulations of the golf’s new but still uneasy peace.
That vow of silence nearly had the desired effect at the US Open, where he was runner-up to Wyndham Clark.
And yet there is a sense that Hoylake could be different. It was here in 2014 — the last time the event visited the course — that he lifted aloft the Claret Jug in celebration.
The omens are good. McIlroy likes to get on a run and momentum is on his side after his birdie-birdie finish at the Scottish Open saw him eclipse Robert McIntyre for the win on Sunday.
Throngs of people gathered to greet him, one fan shouting his thanks for having won him £300 on a bet. McIlroy quipped he had won a lot more… £1.2million to be precise.
McIlroy will not remotely care about the money at stake this week, simply to end his barren run. In practice alongside fellow Irishman Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington to start his Hoylake week, he looked particularly relaxed.
But despite avoiding the peppering of questions, he will be all too aware of his history with the majors, perhaps most notably at his home Open at Portrush in 2019, when he never recovered from a howling opening hole and missed the cut.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s start, he said: “I couldn’t ask for better preparation. The way I played the last two holes [of the Scottish Open] was an amazing finish and a perfect way to come into this week.
“Going into the next few months and seasons I can always draw on that memory of being able to get it done under the toughest of conditions.”
Only two players have endured a longer time gap between their major wins than McIlroy, but he feels that is about to change.
“I’ve had so many close calls,” he said. “I’ve had a great nine years and won a lot of tournaments but the big four have eluded me. Hopefully this week that’s something I can change.
“It’s nice to be back here. It’s not like I think about it all that often so it’s nice to come back and re-familiarize myself with the course.
“It’s nice to come back to a major venue you’ve won on but it also makes you feel a bit old.”
