Caddie Billy Foster believes Rory McIlroy’s US Open collapse was the final nail in the coffin for him and he will win a major in 2025.
“What he needs to do to win a major is he just needs to play like Rory McIlroy does,” Foster said in an interview promoting Genting Casino https://www.gentingcasino.com/insights/pr/golfing-insights-billy-foster/.
What happened to him at the US Open last year will have really hurt him.
“I've been there before. I'm not a player but I've been involved in many situations in major championships where you potentially go home in tears.
“I'm sure Rory did and it hurt him tremendously for months after.I think it would be good for him now and I think he'll come out stronger and I believe he will win a Major this year.
“I think that experience will be the final nail in the coffin. I think it will make him stronger. I don't think it will be a negative.”
McIlroy was unfortunate with how the US Open unfolded - he was under the most intense pressure
“McIlroy can definitely win the Masters. I mean the way he finished last year and the way he's come out this year, even if you look at Pebble Beach — if it’s the Rory of old just wanging that driver down that last hole.
“He had a two or three shot lead and he thought, you know, I’ll hit an iron down there and laid it up and hit it on and won the tournament comfortably.
“Maybe there was an argument that he might have done that at the US Open but you know I think that experience will be really positive for him.
“I think he'll definitely win a major this year and at the end of the day it was the two foot putt that did him on the 16th. That cost him the US Open. It really rattled him. You could see that.
“I think it'll be the experience that'll make him a lot stronger and I believe he'll definitely win a major this year. He's too good.”
I’m not a fan of how condensed majors season is becoming - golfers are being bullied into playing all the time
“I’m not a fan of how condensed majors season is becoming. I thought it was better when the PGA Tour finished at the end of October, start of November. It stretched out a bit more when the PGA Championship was in August.
“Now it's not just the Majors and the Players' Championship that have been moved. There's one every month, and then the players go through March, April, and you’ve got the Masters. May you got the PGA.
“June you got the US Open. July you've got the Open Championship. And then a month or so later you've got all these signature events, elevated events. From now until August, it's so hard for the top players to get any weeks off.
“It's almost like you're bullied into keeping playing all the time. And it's hard to take time off and get yourself a bit fitter and more relaxed. It's high stress golf.
“A large part of it is the next seven months which I'd rather be stretched out a bit more like it used to be. But you can't complain when they're playing for the money they're playing for.
TGL isn’t the future of golf, it doesn’t interest me that much
“I don't see TGL being the future of the game. It's not something that really interests me that much. It's hard to comment on it but is it the future of golf, playing against a big screen? I don't think so but it's something different for people to watch and they can form their own opinions.
A shot clock could work in the wider game
“Absolutely, a shot clock could be implemented across the wider game. They played with one at the Australian Open.. I think it was 40 seconds and the clock was there beside the players on the fairway so they knew exactly where they stood.
“I don't know if it's just a shot clock that is needed. I just think it's the officials, the rules and they just need to be a bit stronger I think.
“You've got to cut a little bit slack if you've got a difficult shot but if you can't get round in four and a half hours — most of the time you get these difficult courses and it's taking these lads five and a quarter hours like.
“It drags on a bit too long. It should be sped up a little bit, I believe, hopefully.”
Bryson DeChambeau is the most popular player in the world - he can win The Masters
“If you look at Bryson before leaving for LIV to what he is now, I mean, he has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse!
“He's gone from being probably not the most popular player to, arguably, the most popular player in the world. He's been a YouTube sensation and he gives the spectators and the fans so much time at these events.
“He stays behind for hours signing stuff, for kids and people and he's given a lot to the game and it's been great to see to be quite honest.
“Can he win the Masters? Absolutely he can. He's one of the world's elite players and his extra length is a massive advantage for him.”
Donald Trump is refreshing - if he wants to bring golf back together, so be it
“Donald Trump is sorting out every issue in the world and now he’s sorting out golf.
“He's a busy man but fair play to him. He's trying to get stuck in and sort out the world's problems. If golf's one of them, so be it. He can't do everything though, can’t he?
“I played with him in New York. I believe, when I was caddying for Sergio Garcia. He was a character. Trump’s just a steady player. He's probably a 10-to-15 handicap, I would imagine. He just plods along. He was entertaining. I remember that. He was good fun to be out with, to be quite honest. That was in 2008.
“He's a controversial character. Some of the stuff he comes out with, you put your hands over your eyes and on other topics you think fair play to you, The Don.
“He's not scared. He says what he thinks. He's not PC. He’s a bit old school isn't he? And it's quite refreshing to be quite honest.”
Article Link: Billy Foster: Rory McIlroy will win a major in 2025 - News - Irish Golf Desk