Rory McIlroy proud of gritty effort at US PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy believes having lower expectations paid dividends as he battled to a top-10 finish in the US PGA Championship.

McIlroy had cut a subdued figure before play got under way at Oak Hill, a legacy of his dispiriting missed cut in the Masters as his latest attempt to complete a career grand slam ended prematurely.

“I’ll look back on this week as proud of how I hung in there and I guess (proud of) my attitude and sticking to it, not having my best stuff,” McIlroy said.

“I guess I just came in here trying to play a golf tournament, honestly not thinking about getting myself in contention. I honestly didn’t feel like I had a chance of winning this week.

“I feel sort of close but also so far away at the same time. It’s hard to explain. I feel like sometimes it was the worst I could have played, but then at the same time it’s like the best I could have done.

“It’s weird. It just doesn’t feel quite where it needs to be and I just need to go back home and work on some stuff. I guess just try to figure it out.”

Asked if having lower expectations had worked in his favour, McIlroy added: “Yeah, 100 per cent.

“I was more accepting of things out there and I think it’s hard. The previous major championship at Augusta, all I think about is winning, winning, winning, to try to win that green jacket.

“I then don’t really think about just playing a tournament and the cadence that goes along with getting into rounds and whatever.

“I go to the second tee on Friday afternoon and I see I’m already 10 back of Brooks or whatever. So then I’m thinking, ‘oh, geez, I have no chance of winning’, and things sort of crumble.

“It’s just like being a bit mentally fragile because you’re so focused on the one thing you’re trying to do when, in essence, you just need to play a golf tournament and see where the chips fall at the end of the week.”