McIlroy: I’m happy to be back in France
Rory McIlroy says he is hoping to bounce back on Thursday at the 100th Open de France at Le Golf National after missing the cut at US the Open.
The 27-year-old missed the cut at Oakmont Country Club by firing rounds of 77 and 71 to finish outside the top ten for the first time this season.
In an interview with the European Tour site, the Northern Irishman said he has been working hard at his game and though disappointed with his US Open showing hoped to bounce back in France.
"You need to use the setbacks to learn and grow and move forward," said McIlroy. "It's very disappointing to miss the cut at the US Open and forego a chance to win another Major Championship.
"But at the same time, I had to be aggressive with a few things and it was almost like it needed to happen, just to assess everything and try to make a few changes where I needed to. I was trying to play with a few things and I just needed to go back to the drawing board a little bit and work on a few things.
"I felt like I've always used setbacks well. I've always learned from my mistakes and I think it's been one of the great things about my career that any time I've had a setback, I've usually come back pretty well. There's no reason why I can't do that again."
The 2018 Ryder Cup will be hosted at the Le Golf National and by playing there this week for the first time since 2010, McIlroy will be re-familiarising himself with the course.
"I'm happy to be back in France," he said. "I've been wanting to come back for a while and being the 100th anniversary and just two years to the Ryder Cup, I thought it was a good thing to come and support the tournament, support the European Tour and familiarise myself with the golf course for two years' time.
"And last time I played here, I finished one shot out of the play-off.
"If you can place your ball in the right positions off the tee, it's very important. I don't know how thick the rough is but I'm imagining it will be pretty thick with all the rain that's been here over the last few weeks."
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