Questions surround Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele as US Open looms

PINEHURST, N.C. — Two pressing questions as the 124th U.S. Open begins Thursday on Pinehurst No. 2:

• What does Xander Schauffele have in store for an encore to his PGA Championship victory last month?

 And …

• Will Rory McIlroy ever win another major championship?

6

Schauffele shed the unofficial label as the best player yet to win a major championship with his victory last month at the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

McIlroy’s last major championship victory, the fourth of his career, ironically took place in 2014 at Valhalla.

For Schauffele, will the victory at the PGA propel him to win more majors? Or will he become another in the line of talents who never bagged another?

He’s only 30, in his prime and has a lot of years remaining, so it’s too early to answer that question, of course.

6

One thing is sure, though: Schauffele has bigger plans than what he accomplished last month in Kentucky.

“I just checked one box, which is really cool, obviously a box very much at the top of my list,’’ he said. “But still a lot more to do, obviously.”

Schauffele called coming to this U.S. Open as a major champion “a different feeling, obviously a great feeling,’’ adding, “It’s just a completely different test. I like to look at each week individually, and this is going to be quite the test of golf.”

6

Asked if winning the PGA can give him an added boost this week, Schauffele said, “I’m sure. Maybe. I haven’t really teed off yet. But my big goal is always to be in the hunt. I think if I’m in the hunt on that back nine on Sunday, I think it’s going to be really helpful knowing that I’ve done it before. Hopefully I can draw back from what happened at Valhalla as a positive there.’’

McIlroy this week has spoken positively about his outlook.

Perhaps this week reversing his decision to divorce his wife, Erica Stoll, the mother of their 3-year-old daughter Poppy, has elevated his spirits.

6

“I’m really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved, whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors,” McIlroy said on Tuesday, before the news of his marital reconciliation broke. “Obviously, getting my hands on a fifth major has taken quite a while, but I’m more confident than ever that I’m right there, that I’m as close as I’ve ever been. 

“I want to win as many golf tournaments as I can. I want to try to compete and win as many majors as I can.”

One of McIlroy’s goals is to become the most prolific major championship winner from Europe.

Nick Faldo has six majors. Seve Ballesteros has five.

6

Asked if he has a number of majors in mind, McIlroy said, “I think the only thing about trying to pick a number is that you’re setting yourself up for failure or disappointment.

“Tiger wanted to surpass Jack (Nicklaus). It looks like he mightn’t get there, but are we going to call Tiger’s career a failure? Absolutely not. He’s played the best golf anyone’s ever seen. 

“There’s always going to be that tinge of what could have been. I don’t want to do that to myself. If someone would have told me at 20 years old I’d be sitting here at 35 and this is the career I’ve had, I would not have believed them and I would have been ecstatic. 

6

“[I] still have a good little bit of time here, hopefully for the next 10 years. I still like to think I’ve got a good run ahead of me. Whatever those numbers are, whatever the totals add up to, I’ll accept that and feel like I’ve done pretty well for a little boy from Northern Ireland that dreamed of playing golf for a living one day.’’

McIlroy, ranked No. 3 in the world, and Schauffele, ranked No. 2, are grouped with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the opening two rounds, beginning with their 1:14 p.m. start off the first tee on Thursday.

“It’s always exciting to be a part of a marquee group like that — Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the world,’’ McIlroy said. “I remember back in the day, I think it was Torrey Pines, watching on TV and watching Tiger (Woods), Phil (Mickelson) and Adam Scott the first two days. It’s cool to be part of these pairings.

“I think at this point, Scottie, Xander and myself are all experienced enough not to get caught up in it, just to go about our business, try to shoot a couple good scores to put ourselves in position going into the weekend.”