Rory McIlroy issues plea to US Open officials ahead of bid for glory at Shinnecock Hills

Rory McIlroy has urged US Open officials to prevent green speeds from becoming "too out of hand" at Shinnecock Hills, insisting that the notoriously challenging surfaces are already fast enough.

The Northern Irishman’s comments come after a reconnaissance visit to the Long Island course, ahead of this week’s Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

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During his Monday stop, McIlroy expressed pleasant surprise at the generous width of the fairways, found the depth of the rough unsurprising, and was content with the current playability of the greens.

However, with a forecast predicting nearly two weeks of sun, temperatures in the low to mid-20s Celsius, and minimal rain, he fears conditions could rapidly accelerate.

Concerns over excessively slick putting surfaces have plagued previous US Opens, with balls famously rolling off greens.

The last time Shinnecock hosted the tournament in 2018, Phil Mickelson incurred a two-shot penalty for hitting his ball while it was still moving to prevent it from disappearing off a false front – a stark reminder of the course’s potential for extreme conditions.

"The fairways are very generous. They’re more generous than they were in 2018 but the first cut of rough is five inches long," McIlroy stated.

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"The greens are rolling around 11, 11.2 (anything over 12 is considered fast and last year’s US Open at Oakmont was between 13 and 14), something like that and I really don’t think they need to get much faster.

“I think if they can keep them at that speed they can get them firm and use the hole locations that they want to use without having some of the struggles that they have had the last couple of US Opens. It’s all about them just maintaining the green speeds really where they are and not getting them too out of hand and I think it will be a great week."

McIlroy is currently playing only his sixth regular PGA Tour event of the year, a reflection of his decision to tailor his schedule to personal circumstances.

While he remains unconcerned about future changes to the tour, he acknowledges that playing less reduces his chances of securing the lucrative end-of-year FedEx Cup.

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"I would back myself to finish in that top 100 or whatever it is (to retain his status) if I play a limited schedule," he added. "Does it mean it makes it harder for myself to win the FedEx Cup or whatever the season-long title race is going to be called? Absolutely, but I’m OK with that because it brings balance to my life and lets me enjoy things outside of the game."

Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler is aiming for a third successive victory at the Memorial Tournament in Muirfield, hosted by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus.

Scheffler remarked: "The last two years don’t mean much when you stand on the first tee. But this is a golf course I’ve had some success at and this will be a cool place to be able to accomplish something like winning the same tournament three years in a row, especially with it being Jack’s place."