Sir Nick Faldo tells media: You should be grateful, Rory McIlroy 'has suffered'

Sir Nick Faldo says Rory McIlroy 'has suffered' as the PGA Tour's spokesperson as they fought LIV Golf but believes the Northern Irishman will be 'seriously inspired' when he tees it up at the 151st Open Championship. 

Nobody wants McIlroy to win a major championship as much as he does, he's made that clear.

However, golf legend Faldo believes his next one could be just a few weeks away.

Related: Faldo goes after LIV Golf in all time rant!

McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, made a splash early on in his career, grabbing his first major in 2011, and earning three more by the end of 2014.

But since then, the 34-year-old has suffered a major championship drought that's lasted nine years, and will soon be approaching a decade.

And his lack of major titles since 2014 has not been due too poor play, as he's since won 14 more PGA Tour titles - including three Tour Championships.

Last season alone, McIlroy finished inside the top-10 at all four majors, highlighted by a runner-up at the 2022 Masters Tournament.

This year he didn't experience the same level of close calls, but he did finish runner-up again at the 123rd US Open at Los Angeles Country Club just over a week ago.

This time, he finished just one-stroke short of forcing a playoff against Wyndham Clark.

McIlroy's final chance at winning his fifth major in 2023 is just a few weeks away, with the 151st Open Championship beginning 20 July.

The tournament is returning to Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England for the first time since McIlroy won it at the venue in 2014.

And Faldo thinks that could aid to McIlroy's advantage.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's seriously inspired at Hoylake. I mean, that's where he won last. I'm sure he's got lots of scar damage, scar tissue from nine years now," Faldo said during a press conference ahead of the Betfred British Masters, a DP World Tour event he's hosting this year.

Faldo, a six-time major champion himself, also spoke about McIlroy's role over the past year as an unofficial spokesperson for the PGA Tour amid the LIV Golf drama, and what it could look like moving forward with the recent merger news.

Faldo added:

Faldo continued:

McIlroy followed up his runner-up at the US Open with a tie for seventh this past week at the Travelers Championship, a designated event on the PGA Tour.

In three weeks' time, he'll be at Royal Liverpool seeking that long-awaited fifth major championship.

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