It has been a decade since the last time Rory McIlroy won a major championship. His fourth major silverware came at the 2014 PGA Championship. Since then, the Northern Irishman has won 17 PGA Tour events but has had only 20 top-10 finishes. Will this appearance at Pinehurst No. 2 end this curse?

The 35-year-old has recently reconciled with his wife Erica Stoll after the couple filed for divorce in early May. Following this, McIlroy entered the North Carolina planes with probably a much better mindset and a weapon to end the major drought at Pinehurst No. 2.

Rory McIlroy set to use his favorite clubs for his fifth major title chase

This year has been a fruitful one for the Northern Irishman. Rory McIlroy has already won three times in the season, including on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. His recent victories came at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Shane Lowry and after that, McIlroy won the third Wells Fargo Championship title on May 12th.

His two recent wins on the PGA Tour could be attributed to his club changes from the 2024 season, which McIlroy has taken to Pinehurst as well. On Wednesday of the U.S. Open, TaylorMade posted on X that McIlroy was practicing his shot game around the greens.

The Northern Irishman was at hole no. 4 and used his power wedges Milled Grind 4 and the putter, Spider Tour X to chip in the ball near the temporary disc that was placed on the greens. In a longer version of the video posted on YouTube, McIlroy could be seen using his MG4 wedges to reach the greens better.

The clubs have been lucky for McIlroy, as he has already concluded two events in his favor while using them. Observing his current form, McIlroy is the second favorite golfer to win the U.S. Open. But does the Northern Irishman himself believe that he could finally win the elusive fifth major?

Rory McIlroy thinks he’s “more confident than ever”

On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy faced the media for the pre-press conference and answered a few questions about his awaited fifth major. At first, the 35-year-old patted himself on the back for the 15 years he had given to the game and the several titles he has won on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Then, talking about his chase for the fifth major, McIlroy said, “Obviously getting my hands on a fifth major has taken quite a while, but I’m more confident than ever that I’m right there, that I’m as close as I’ve ever been.” McIlroy even has a strategy to win at Pinehurst No/ 2 which surely isn’t explosive.

Instead, the 35-year-old shared that he will be playing methodically and attempting to build a high score over the four days. Only a few hours remain before the golfers tee up at the U.S. Open. Will McIlroy’s passion and lucky clubs help him start strong at Pinehurst No. 2 and stay ahead of the 156-player field? Only time will tell.