McIlroy has more silverware in sight

FEDEX CUP PLAY-OFFS:RORY McILROY has more silverware in his sights as he prepares for the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick in Carmel today.

The 23-year-old’s win at the Deutsche Bank Championship means he enters the third FedEx Cup play-off event at the top of the points standings.

He has been grouped with Nick Watney and Tiger Woods, second and third in the standings, and is happy with his current performance levels. “I’m very pleased with how I’ve played the last few weeks,” he said. “(I’m) very pleased at how hard I worked on my game leading up to these few weeks because I felt like it was nearly there, and it just needed to stay patient.”

McIlroy and Woods have won three PGA Tour events each so far this year. Now McIlroy is determined to add to his tally. “It’s rare to see guys having six and seven-win seasons,” he said. “Tiger did it for so many years, three is a great number, I’d like to make it four or five, obviously, after the FedEx Cup.”

It remains to be seen if last year’s Masters winner Charl Schwartzel will be one of the players teeing off in Indiana. The South African qualifies to compete in the tournament, but he is still suffering from a hip injury he first suffered back in June.

“I actually injured it at the US Open, and it seems to be coming back,” he said. “It’s not as advanced as it was there. It’s not torn, but it’s very uncomfortable, and I don’t want to get to that stage where I can’t play for the rest of the year. But I’ll see. Maybe we’ll have to get some rest and maybe it’ll be okay, but it’s very uncomfortable at the moment.”

Players often talk about the rare luxury of being “in the zone” and McIlroy readily admits his good fortune in having twice occupied that territory on his way to victory in two of golf’s biggest events.

“You can call it a trance or you can call it getting in the zone. For me, you’re just very confident,” McIlroy said.

“You’ve got total self-belief. You’re hitting it at your target, you’re hitting it close to the pins. You’re seeing every putt go in.

“I’ve been able to do that a couple of times. Fortunately those couple of times have been in Major championships and I’ve ended up winning them by quite a margin. Hopefully I continue to do that.”

Asked how he coped mentally with being in the zone, McIlroy replied: “The most important thing when that does happen (is) you have to realise it’s happening and just get out of your own way, just play one shot at a time.

“Sometimes all aspects of your game are fully on but you get in your own way and you start to thinking about it too much and you start to talk yourself out of it.

“When you’re mentally in a great place, you just go with it and keep it going. But I don’t care if I win by one like last week or if I win by eight like at Kiawah or Congressional. As long as your name goes on that trophy, that’s all that matters.”

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

Course: Crooked Stick, Carmel, Indiana.

Prize money: €6,347,000 (€1,110,846 to the winner).

Length: 7,516 yards. Par: 72.

Field: 70.

The layout: A strong links feel, it has 74 bunkers and fast Bentgrass greens. The hardest hole according to the stroke index is the eighth. A par four dogleg with a huge pond down the entire left side and behind the green.

Last year: Justin Rose won by two from John Senden.

Type of player suited to challenge: Big hitters will have the edge here but only if they can hit it straight.

Key attribute: Accuracy.

Weather forecast: Very warm with temperatures of 29 degrees but a threat of thunderstorms.

On TV:Sky Sports 3 from 8pm today.