Rory McIlroy has been told he needs to sort out two key areas of his game if he is to break his major drought. The 35-year-old made a statement on the weekend by winning his 27th PGA Tour title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, holding off Shane Lowry by two shots.

But it is now more than a decade since he last landed a major title, when he won his second PGA Championship. 

A golden opportunity for the Ryder Cup star to break that run went begging in 2024 when he missed two short putts in the final three holes to miss out on the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau.

Now former professional player and commentator Brandel Chamblee has revealed the two factors he believes are preventing McIlroy from adding to his haul of four majors. And he thinks one issue is psychological, with the other technical.

“One, I think he’s got a mental hurdle,” he told bunkered. “When you’re a completely different person in the majors than you are in regular tour events – and he is – that screams that you’ve got a mental hurdle.

“The other one is his iron play. He’s going to have to hit them better. Simple as that. Let’s go back to a decade ago or more when he was winning major championships by eight shots. He was second on tour in strokes gained and approach. Only Tiger Woods was better than him at that time.

“He was picking up more than a shot on the field. Now, he’s only picking up about a quarter of a shot. So, he’s got a little technical issue to get past and a not-so-little mental issue to get past in the majors.”

Chamblee, 62, was a one-time winner on the PGA Tour whose best effort at a major came at the Masters in 1999, when he placed tied 18th. It’s Augusta that will represent McIlroy’s next chance to not only land another big title, but complete a career Grand Slam.

Despite his reservations, Chamblee has faith that the Northern Irishman will add to his major haul before the end of his career. “I think he’s training better. His body’s probably never better.

“He’s still the longest hitter on the PGA Tour. So, you’d have to say it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to play the next five years without winning a major.”

Like McIlroy, Chamblee has been a vociferous critic of LIV Golf. The Golf Channel pundit has described the 54-hole format as “laughable,” and regularly mocked the Saudi-backed tournaments for their poor television ratings.