* Rory McIlroy is once again feeling confident with the driver as he aims to finally get back over the line at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
* The Northern Irishman famously sent records tumbling as he claimed his first Major title at this event in 2011 before losing his way at the United States' national open with three missed cuts in a row from 2016 to 2018.
* A change in focus in 2019 brought a top ten and he has finished in the top ten at every edition since, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in the last two years.
* An enforced change of the big stick at the US PGA Championship has seen McIlroy’s imperious form off the tee desert him in recent weeks but after putting in the hard yards, he is once again confident of challenging for a second Major of the season.
* “I feel like, as the last few weeks go, I think I learnt a lot on Thursday and Friday last week and did a good bit of practice at home and feel like I'm in a better place with everything going into this week."
* “It's Oakmont, it's still a big brute of a golf course and you're going to have to have your wits about you this week all the way throughout the bag: off the tee, into the greens, around the greens. Everyone knows what to expect. It's Oakmont. It's going to be a great test.
* Rory McIlroy will join Ryder Cup team-mates Justin Rose and Shane Lowry in a marquee grouping over the opening two rounds of the U.S. Open.
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* The all-European trio will feature as part of Thursday’s first-round morning wave at 7:40am local time off the tenth tee.
* McIlroy dramatically edged out Rose in a play-off to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters Tournament in April, while fellow Major winner Lowry was runner-up the last time this event was played here in 2016.
* Thursday afternoon sees Scottie Scheffler in the company of fellow American Collin Morikawa and Norway’s Viktor Hovland from 1:25pm off the first.
"This is probably the hardest golf course that we'll play, maybe ever. When you're in the fairway, there's opportunity, but what's so special about this place is pretty much every time you're off the fairway it's going to be very difficult for you to get the ball to the green. There's so many bunkers everywhere and they're deep and it's a real penalty when you hit the ball in the bunkers here"
* Scheffler is the pre-tournament favourite as he targets his fourth win in five starts, including a second Major triumph of the season after victory at last month’s US PGA Championship.
* Since the course went to a par 70, it has hosted the U.S. Open in 2007 and 2016, with just four players finishing the event under par across both editions.
* Justin Thomas: "I've played it, I know it's difficult. I also have faith that if I go play well and I'm driving the ball well and I'm hitting my irons like I know I can, I'm going to have a lot of birdie opportunities."
* Xander Schauffele: If you're a premier ball striker, you'll be licking your chops. Yeah, that's pretty much it. Anything close to par is what they want here. The members absolutely love their property, and the members absolutely want it to be over par. It's challenging myself to try and hit every fairway, to try and hit every green, to try and be disciplined like through and through "
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
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