June 14 (Reuters) - World number three Rory McIlroy said he has made "big steps of progress" in his game before he begins the U.S. Open with renewed focus and tries to end a nine-year barren run in majors.
"I'm certainly feeling a lot better coming into this major championship than I was going to Oak Hill.
McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011 at Congressional Country Club, storming to victory while setting the mark for lowest 72-hole score in the tournament's history at 16-under-par 268.
"I've had my ups and downs in this tournament but I've started to figure out how to handle U.S. Open conditions and tests," McIlroy said.
"I think there's certainly a lot more patience in my game than there used to be."
Persons:
Rory McIlroy, McIlroy, LIV Golf, I'm, LIV's Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, I've, Hritika Sharma, Tom Hogue
Organizations:
PGA Tour, Canadian, PGA, U.S, Congressional Country Club, U.S ., Thomson
Locations:
U.S, Saudi, Toronto, Oak Hill, Hyderabad