Rory McIlroy has said this week’s Memorial Tournament will be his final event before the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he made a scouting visit earlier in the week to assess conditions for next month’s major. McIlroy missed the cut when Shinnecock last hosted the US Open in 2018, but he said he came away encouraged by what he saw this time, while stressing that the United States Golf Association (USGA) must keep green speeds under control to avoid the kind of severe difficulties that have affected past championships.
Shinnecock has a history of producing difficult, sometimes controversial US Open conditions. In 2018, Phil Mickelson drew criticism after hitting a moving ball on the course’s sun-baked greens and later apologized. In 2004, the par-three seventh green was described as “unplayable” and had to be watered during the final round after two players putted off the green and into bunkers. Against that backdrop, McIlroy said the setup for this year’s event appears more manageable, with the fairways described as generous, though the rough remains thick and difficult at five inches.
McIlroy said the greens were running at around 11 to 11.2 on the stimpmeter, a pace he believes is fast enough for a US Open without becoming excessive. He noted that speeds above 12 are generally considered quick, and that last year’s US Open at Oakmont measured between 13 and 14, a level he implied would be too extreme if replicated at Shinnecock. In his view, keeping the greens at their current pace would allow the USGA to firm them up and set challenging hole locations without creating the same sorts of issues seen in some recent major championships.
He added that if the USGA maintains those speeds rather than allowing them to become too fast, the tournament should provide a strong test while remaining fair and playable. McIlroy said he expected it to be “a great week” if conditions are managed properly.
The Memorial will be McIlroy’s last competitive appearance before the US Open, and he is scheduled to begin his bid for a first Memorial title at 15:25 BST on Thursday alongside two-time major winner Justin Thomas.
