Golf legend Paul McGinley has expressed serious concerns about Rory McIlroy's current state of mind and performance as the US Open begins at Oakmont Country Club this week.
The former Ryder Cup captain described the Northern Irishman's recent behaviour as "not normal Rory", highlighting a dramatic shift in the golfer's demeanour since his Masters triumph in April.
McIlroy ended an 11-year major championship drought with his Augusta victory, becoming only the sixth player in history to complete the career Grand Slam.
However, just two months after that historic achievement, the 36-year-old appears to be struggling with form and motivation, raising questions about his prospects at one of golf's most demanding venues.
Rory McIlroy will be hoping to win the US Open this week
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McGinley's assessment was particularly stark when discussing McIlroy's recent press conference appearance.
"You'd have to say it was very worrying looking at his press conference there. His eyes weren't alive. The energy was not there," McGinley told Sky Sports.
The contrast with McIlroy's pre-Masters mindset could not be more pronounced, according to McGinley.
"He certainly didn't have the pointy elbows the way we saw coming into the Masters," he continued.
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Golf legend Paul McGinley has expressed serious concerns about Rory McIlroy's current state of mind and performance as the US Open begins at Oakmont Country Club this week
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"[At the Masters] he was a man on a mission, he was a man on a bounce, he was a man out to prove something. 'Get out of my way, here I come.' You could see that and feel the energy.
"You don't see it at the moment."
McIlroy himself has acknowledged his struggles since Augusta.
"You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters but you don't think about what comes next," he admitted last week in Canada.
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His recent tournament performances have been particularly disappointing.
Following a brief rest after the Masters, McIlroy failed to impress at the PGA Championship and delivered one of his worst statistical performances at the RBC Canadian Open last week.
Reflecting on that poor showing, the 36-year-old suggested it might help him refocus.
"It makes it easier to reset in some way, to be like, 'Okay, I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process,'" he explained.
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McGinley offered his own psychological insight into McIlroy's current state.
"I know from my own experience, when you win tournaments, you check out. You don't feel the same. You want to be there, and you put in the energy, but something inside you is just missing," he explained.
Rory McIlroy is targeting a first US Open triumph since 2011
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The former Ryder Cup captain suggested that completing the Grand Slam has had a profound impact: "It takes some time for that to reset, and I think he's going through a period of that. He's completed a Grand Slam it's a huge achievement.
"I'm no psychologist but it looks like the air has been sucked out of him a little since that, not just in the way he's played but in his press conferences. It's very un-Rory-like to have such low energy."
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