Rory McIlroy’s cupboard has been bare for a little too long. Since he last won a Major, the US PGA in the gathering gloom of Valhalla two years ago, the Northern Irishman has been in contention – with four top 10s in six championships – only to see someone else claim the silverware.

To describe such a winless run in the Majors as a drought would be an exaggeration; but by his own lofty standards, it has stretched on a little long.

Of course, seven Majors have actually taken place since he lifted the giant Wanamaker Trophy for a second time in his career in 2014, but McIlroy missed the defence of his British Open title last year due to injury.

If his own dedication to a fitness programme and that of his medical team has made that ruptured ligament injury a thing of the past, the art of winning has become more elusive. His only success so far this season was a memorable closing-out of the Irish Open at The K Club, while his Majors resume reads a tied-10th at the Masters, a missed cut at the US Open and a tied-fifth – but a distant one – at the British Open.

And McIlroy described as “exciting” the confirmation yesterday that the Irish Open – of which he is the tournament host – would be played at Portstewart next year as part of a links swing running up to the British Open.

“We’ve been working hard with the European Tour over the last couple years to try to find suitable venues and a suitable date for the Irish Open. To get that date right before the Scottish is huge.

“Hopefully we can attract some marquee names to come over and play.”

Coastline

If that tournament on the Co Derry coastline is something for McIlroy to again look forward to with anticipation, it’s his desire to add to that Irish Open title this week in New Jersey that currently occupies his mind.

McIlroy expanded on what he first describes as a “neutral” season: “It’s sort of been a little stop-start in a way. I’m trying to stay as positive as I can. I feel like I am positive because my game is in good shape. But I guess just I’m maybe running out of patience a little bit and trying to make it happen.”

McIlroy had a number of fruitful sessions with his coach Michael Bannon last week, which sorted out a tendency to get on his left side at Troon. “I’m basically just trying to neutralise out my golf swing. I was leaning on it and I was trying to play little low shots and I was getting on top of it a little too early. I’m just trying to get back to making full swings, being a little freer with it,” he explained.

Productive

Just how productive those sessions were will be witnessed this week, in a championship where, more than any other player in the past five years, he has been a consistent contender. His strike-rate includes two wins, at Kiawah Island in 2012 and Valhalla in 2014. Why not a third?

“I feel like this is my best chance this year to win a Major,” he acknowledged.

And, more than that, McIlroy – facing into a second straight year without a Major title, unless he can win here – has his sights set on winning a Major a year going forward.

As he put it: “If you can win one of the four every year; if you’re that good, you can do that. I think it is realistic. I think that is achievable.

“We’ve seen in the past that is achievable. That’s the benchmark. That’s what you’re trying to get to. It’s hard, [fields are] so deep, but I guess ’11, ’12, ’13, ’14, in that stretch of four years, I averaged a Major a year.

“So there’s no reason to think that I can’t do that for the foreseeable future. Obviously that’s what my benchmark is, and I feel like I can attain that. I have to play my best golf, and sometimes it’s hard to come up with your best golf each and every week. But I definitely think it’s attainable.”

McIlroy has spent a total of 95 weeks as world number one in his career, so far. He has slipped to fourth in the latest rankings, falling behind Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth in the pecking order.

Number one

Winning makes the road back to number one an easier one.

“Golf, it’s in good place in terms of how many good players we have, and I feel like it’s hard to separate yourself from the pack a little bit. But that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to separate ourselves and trying to win tournaments and trying to be the best that we can. And hopefully that, in turn, is the best in the world.”