LOS ANGELES – His hair is darker, his equipment different, his profile larger, but there was still much for Rory McIlroy to glean by rewatching highlights of his most recent major championship title.
By this point, it must feel like ancient history. But a few weeks ago, McIlroy cued up YouTube footage from the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. The McIlroy of that era was renowned for his free-flowing power, his swagger, his uninhibited hunger. He was 25 at the time, his entire athletic prime still ahead of him. But what stood out to him now, nine years later, wasn’t any physical trait or swing key or sensation.