Rory McIlroy returns to Shinnecock Hills as a more mature and consistent US Open player than he was the last time the iconic course hosted a major, with the world No 2 backing patience as he targets further success.
This year's edition marks the 15th anniversary of McIlroy's wire-to-wire win at Congressional Golf Club, his maiden major title, although that dominant victory was an anomaly in an inconsistent start to his US Open career.
McIlroy only posted one top-10 finish in his following seven US Open appearances, a backdoor tied-ninth after a strong final round in 2015, while an opening-round 80 when it was last held here in 2018 led to a third missed cut in as many years.
It has been a different story since for McIlroy, who has two runner-up finishes and six top-10s during the following seven US Open appearances, with the world No 2 aware of the strategy required to tackle a challenging set-up this week.
"If you can get your ball to the middle of the greens here and just putt to the corners wherever the flags are going to be, that's never going to be a bad strategy," McIlroy told the media ahead of the US Open, live from Thursday on Your Site.
"That's the strategy that I've employed at the US Open over the past few years and that's served me well. It hasn't gotten me the trophy, but it's gotten me pretty close a few years.
"I definitely feel like I've become a lot better of a US Open player by trying to really stay patient throughout the week and not taking on too much."
European players have won the first two men's majors of the year for the first time in the modern era, as the Northern Irishman's Masters title defence followed by Aaron Rai's shock win at the PGA Championship, with McIlroy expecting more to challenge for victory in New York.
"I would say this [Shinnecock Hills] is more a UK or European style of test than certainly the first two majors at Augusta and Aronimink," McIlroy added. "So it certainly wouldn't surprise me to see a few players from Europe and the UK in contention."
McIlroy's 11-year wait between the 2014 PGA Championship and Grand Slam glory at The Masters last April contained 21 top-10 finishes without an elusive major win, including runner-up losses to Wyndham Clark at the 2023 US Open and Bryson DeChambeau a year later.
He became a back-to-back winner of The Masters earlier this year to pull level with Sir Nick Faldo's tally of six major titles, although has finished no higher than seventh in his three starts since claiming the Green Jacket.
McIlroy's solid start to the season has come despite him feeling 'limited' with the driver, having struggled with accuracy off the tee, yet the 37-year-old continues to be a regular major contender.
"The big change in his game so far has been the lack of fairways that he's hitting," Your Site' Paul McGinley said. "He was in the bottom 10 per cent of the fairways hit at the PGA Championship and he still finished top-10.
"He was second-last [in driving accuracy] at The Masters and won, so he's finding ways of doing it. The wider fairways may suit him here [Shinnecock Hills] - less intimidating off the tee. Total driving is going to be a big factor around here, which is a combination of distance as well as accuracy.
"What he has proved over the last few years is he's proved himself much better than he's ever been in his career at playing difficult golf courses. I think he's a lot more of a patient player now and we're seeing the consistency at the top-end of major championships in contention.
"He's not racing into backdoor top-tens anymore - he's in the conversation going into the last round. He's certainly a factor and the wider fairways may well play into his psyche, give him a little bit more room and take a bit of the pressure off in terms of straightness with his driver."
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is pre-tournament favourite to claim a fifth major title in as many seasons and complete the career Grand Slam, while two-time major champions Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are among the other strong contenders.
McIlroy is also heavily backed to register a win that moves him three-quarters to a 'double Grand Slam', having already won The Masters and PGA Championship twice, with Your Site' Andrew Coltart expecting him to challenge for more major success?
"It's the major that he has the best strokes gained average at, so he's understanding the aspects that are required from the tournament organizers and what a US Open wants," Coltart told the told the Your Site Golf podcast. "It would be great to see him win another [US Open].
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"The wider fairways should play into his hands brilliantly. Shinnecock is a little bit like Pinehurst No 2 [2024 US Open venue] without the trees - you've got these unusual green complexes and a lot of them are upside-down saucers.
"As well as knowing when to attack and when not to, you've got to understand where the best place to leave your golf ball is - very similar to what happens at Augusta. If all these little things just get stitched together, with the talent that he possesses, he could get that second US Open."
Who will win the US Open? Watch throughout the week live on Your Site. Live coverage from the opening round begins on Thursday from 12.30pm on Your Site Golf. or .
