McGinley fears McIlroy may lack competitive edge for US Open

Rory McIlroy at Bay Hill - one of just six competitive appearances 

Paul McGinley believes Rory McIlroy will be "frustrated" by being forced to sit out the Memorial Tournament and suggested that it may be difficult for the world No 2 to be 100 percent competitive at the US Open having played just six tournaments this year.

McIlroy's rib injury has forced him to miss as many events as he's played this season.

Following his playoff defeat in the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni in January — the event where he first complained of a stress fracture of the ribs he says he picked up hitting too many balls in his search of new equipment — he's been forced to miss the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Open, the Honda Classic, the BMW PGA and now the Memorial Tournament.

"It's really disappointing that he has missed as many tournaments this year as he has played," McGinley said on Sky Sports. "For a big player, a big star of the game as Rory is, it is a big disappointment to the game.

"But more importantly, there has been a lot of noise about Rory this year in terms of the contracts he has signed. He played golf with the American president and now his injuries.

"It's all unrelated to what he's doing on the golf course and that's got to be a real source of frustration for Rory, particularly when he sees guys like Dustin Johnson walking off into the sunset in terms of how they are playing and regularly competing. 

"So I think he will be very motivated by also incredibly frustrated in terms of having to miss out again. Hopefully he can come back fit and be ready for the US Open.

It's very hard to compete at that elite level in terms of winning a major championship when you haven't put in the work beforehand in terms of competitive play."

McIlroy played 11 events before the US Open in 2015 and 2016. This year he will have played six.