NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – The first question in any pre-tournament press conference is a warm-up.

It is also a tell.

The organizing communications staff, in this case, the PGA of America, lob an innocuous question about the week ahead, the golf course or the player’s mindset. It offers the player an easy answer to get settled before the floor is opened to the rest of the media.

The insight lies not in what they say, but in how much or how little they entertain it, an illuminating opening salvo into their temperament that more often than not provides an accurate reflection of their psyche.

A year ago on this day, Rory McIlroy arrived at Quail Hollow Club and offered very little. What was expected to be a joyous homecoming for the newly minted Masters champion quickly morphed into a moody, uncharacteristic PGA Championship that began with a short (relative for McIlroy) media session. It also sparked a tense relationship with the media that persisted through the summer as McIlroy wrestled with his place in the game and what he really wanted with the rest of his career – his results mirroring that uncertainty.

In the weeks following McIlroy’s second Masters title, he vowed this year would be different – finally clear on his goals, motivations, and mindset. It was that version of McIlroy that sat in front of the media Tuesday, the differences clear to see. McIlroy is ready to run up the tally, far from content to rest on his laurels as a Grand Slam champion, invigorated by the chase for more majors and more history.

That mindset shift was evident in his response to the first question, asked generally about Aronimink Golf Club (a question he also answered two days ago after his final round at the Truist Championship). He waxed about his prep trip up, comparing Aronimink to other courses nearby and recalling stories of the only other tournament he played here in 2018 – a lengthy response to that type of question, even for the chatty McIlroy.

Later, he fielded an off-the-wall hypothetical question about the origins of the PGA Championship way back in the day when it was a match-play event, and gave a thoughtful response. He batted away a similar attempt at a hypothetical question last year and gave curt answers about parts of others’ games he would love in his own.

“I'm focused on my game,” McIlroy said then.

This version projects a McIlroy at ease. Calm, but focused. Confident but not overly so.

McIlroy has long struggled with how to approach major championships. Does he treat them like any other week? Does he make them special? Does he shut himself off to the outside world? Does he leave himself open?

This year’s Masters provided a blueprint that, at first blush, feels mentally and emotionally repeatable. He soaked in the experience as the reigning champion, secure in himself and his accomplishments. He arrived early and attended all the pre-tournament festivities. He embraced his role as a favorite, which was difficult to do when his major drought extended past a decade and the days of McIlroy’s major dominance faded further into the rearview. And it worked. McIlroy was as level-headed as he’s ever been, which was required because his golf was shakier than expected for an eventual champion.

Maybe he just needed to remind himself who he was back when he was racking up majors at will – the bashful, strong-headed and confident kid that didn’t let circumstance dictate outcome. Winning again finally allowed him to unlock that bit of himself, even if it took him a few months to realize it.

“I think I came into this tournament last year a little bit sort of uncertain of what my future was – just like I conquered this thing that I wanted to conquer for so long, and I was a little bit – you know, I still hadn't really reset goals or found whatever that motivation was to keep going or go forward and set myself goals for the rest of my career,” McIlroy said. “It probably took me a good few months to get to that point. As I've said, like last week, coming into this tournament feels a lot different than what it did last year. I feel like I've got some nice clear road ahead to try to get some more of these majors.”

McIlroy is a favorite again this week, second only to Scottie Scheffler in the eyes of the oddsmakers. Listening to him discuss how to succeed at Aronimink should only calcify those beliefs. He sees it as a bomb-and-gauge test, a setup that favors McIlroy’s extraordinary length. The sweeping contours of Aronimink’s greens are its biggest challenge, which will put a premium on distance and spin control – an aspect of McIlroy’s game he has greatly improved in recent years.

And, like any tournament, it will come down to who can keep it together between the ears as the sun goes down on Sunday evening. McIlroy is better equipped to handle that aspect of the competition than at any other point in his career. He’s more motivated, too.

A year ago at this tournament, McIlroy said, “I’ve done everything I've wanted to do in the game.” It was an admission, in hindsight, that foretold the struggles ahead.

The tenor has changed this year.

“There's going to be a day where I'm not sitting up here and I'm not competing for major championships and I'm not doing what I'm doing,” McIlroy said. “... but there's still a lot of things I want to achieve.”