Ahead of yet another Major quest at Oak Hill Country Club in New York this weekend, Rory McIlroy has spoken on the issues he has faced with his form in recent weeks - and the help he enlisted from one of the game's greats to get his mojo back.
McIlroy was, alongside Scottie Scheffler, the form golfer in the world after his win at the Dubai Desert Classic in January, but a disappointing run at the Masters in April was followed by a similarly underwhelming performance at the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month.
The recent results will no doubt have been a shock for McIlroy, who spoke earlier this week of his desire to leave off-course crusades to one side.
This weekend's PGA Championship will once again see McIlroy in the spotlight. It was at this tournament that McIlroy took his last major win in 2014, and the nine-year wait has seen many agonising near-misses for the Holywood man.
With the second major of the year taking place on familiar turf - his wife Erica is from the locality in Rochester, and McIlroy is a member of the Oak Hill course - he will hope for a return to form.
He will have been helped by the wise words of Tiger Woods in recent weeks.
Rory McIlroy credits Tiger Woods' swing tips
Speaking to the Golf Channel ahead of the PGA Championship, McIlroy revealed that Tiger Woods had reached out to him in the aftermath of the Northern Irishman's disappointment at the Wells Fargo Championship.
30 September 2018; Rory McIlroy of Europe hugs Tiger Woods of USA with Tommy Fleetwood to their left, after the Ryder Cup 2018 Matches at Le Golf National in Paris, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
With McIlroy lost after an unexpectedly poor performance at the Masters weeks earlier, he said that he was grateful to Woods - with whom he shares a close friendship - for his advice and kind words:
I had a good chat with Tiger a couple of days after Quail Hollow about my swing. That was really helpful, it was just two guys talking about the golf swing.
I was really appreciative of him reaching out to me and sharing his thoughts.
When you have the greatest player of all time offering advice, you are not going to turn it down. Since I spoke to him, I was really keen to go to the range and work on some things.
McIlroy and Woods share one of the more publicised friendships in the world of golf, with the pair sharing an emotional moment on the fairway at last year's Open Championship - Woods' last at St Andrews.
Given how complimentary Woods has been of McIlroy's swing previously, we can only imagine how detailed their conversation was.
Rory McIlroy tees off in round one of the PGA Championship on Thursday at 13:11 Irish time, alongside American duo Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. Woods will not be part of the field at Oak Hill.
In the group directly after McIlroy and co., 2008 champion Padraig Harrington will tee off alongside Kevin Kisner and Jimmy Walker (13:17), with Shane Lowry (13:22) following in a mega group with Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland.
Seamus Power tees off in the evening Irish time (18:42) with Sungjae Im and Chris Kirk.
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