Rory McIlroy backed to 'solve' motivation issue ahead of US Open bid

Since sealing his maiden Masters crown and becoming only the sixth player in history to complete the grand slam, McIlroy has spoken honestly about a dip in motivation, saying “grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is a little tougher than it used to be”.

McIlroy finished T47th at the PGA Championship last month and missed the cut at last weekend’s Canadian Open as he tried to adjust to a new driver after his previous club was ruled non-conforming at Quail Hollow.

The 36-year-old has enjoyed tremendous consistency at the US Open, finishing inside the top-10 across each of the last six years, including back-to-back second-placed finishes in 2023 and 2024.

McIlroy enjoyed his sole competition victory in 2011 – the first of five major titles to date – and will get his 2025 campaign underway on Thursday at Oakmont, a course which defending champion Bryson DeChambeau says “doesn't just challenge your game, it challenges your sanity”.

Dougherty, who won three European Tour titles before moving into a presenting role with Sky Sports, has full confidence McIlroy will rediscover his spark.

"Oakmont isn't a course you want to be going to with your game not in order and he's saying that himself,” he said on Sky Sports. “I think he would love to be able to step away if he could and enjoy this for a while...he's one of six in the history of men's golf (to complete the grand slam).

"He wants to enjoy it, but at the same time he wants to compete and be at his best.

"Going to the range and grinding now is tougher because the motivation has understandably shifted.

"He will solve that - we're not going to hear Rory retiring next year - and he will want to get more majors, but he has to set himself a new goal and I don't think he knows what that is yet.

"The challenge at Oakmont will get his attention and players love to say they've won there because it's thought of as the hardest in terms of physicality and mentality.

"He has been honest about putting himself in the position of finding what gets him out of bed, setting new goals, reassessing what the future holds and he will get there."