Rory McIlroy is having a very good week at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Evidently, the kitchen in Rory McIlroy’s La Jolla hotel is having a very good week, too.
McIlroy leaves the South Course on Saturday afternoon in very good spirits. He’s three under for the week after 54 holes and firmly within striking distance heading into Sunday’s final round. His performance included five birdies to only a single bogey, and showcased some of the steadiest play we’ve seen from the former World No. 1 in a major championship in some time.
There are still some unknowns for Rory heading into Saturday evening in Southern California. For one, he’s not certain when he’ll be playing on Sunday afternoon, and with whom. As the first of a host of players in the clubhouse at three under, it’s not inconceivable to think he could find himself in the final pairing. Another question mark: he still doesn’t know where the leader(s) will be when play concludes on Saturday.
But one thing in Rory McIlroy’s life is certain heading into the final round at the national championship: his dinner order. The 2011 U.S. Open champ revealed to reporters that he’s had the same exact meal for the last five consecutive nights, and on Saturday evening, he’s hoping to make it six.
“I’ve had the same chicken sandwich five nights in a row from room service, so I’ll probably make it six nights in a
row [tonight],” he said after the round. “I’ll go to bed, I’ll wake up, do my warm-up in the gym and get ready to go play again. That’s about it.”
That’s a heck of a post-round gameplan — one that seems to be paying dividends for the 32-year-old at Torrey Pines, and one that begins with, of all things, a chicken sandwich.
If superstition does play a role, McIlroy is clearly the beneficiary. He’s been remarkably even-keeled all week, and now enters Sunday’s final round in tremendous position to contend for his first major championship in almost seven years. Perhaps some of that consistency has come thanks to his diet, which has been nothing if not steady.
As for what is on the famed sandwich?
“It’s rotisserie chicken, avocado, sun dried tomatoes, some garlic aioli and some holey bread,” McIlroy said.
On the topic of its quality, his praise was effusive — even after five consecutive nights of consumption.
“It’s really good.”
If it ain’t broke.
