Rory McIlroy simply couldn’t break an egg when it came to putting two weeks ago at The Valspar Championship.
Despite perfect putting surfaces at Innisbrook Resort, Rory was incapable.
The crazy thing about this game of golf is how fast things can turn.
“I kept telling everyone I was close,” McIlroy said after The Valspar. “No one would believe me.”
After The Valspar, Rory headed back to Jupiter and sought out Brad Faxon, a darn good putter in his days on the PGA Tour.
It could have been the decision that turned McIlroy’s game around.
That planned one-hour session at the Bear’s Club following his missed cut at Valspar turned into a three-hour meeting that he insists was more about psychology than putting.
“He freed up my head more than my stroke,” said McIlroy, who birdied five of the final six holes to win by three last Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“I felt like maybe I was complicating things a bit and thinking a little bit too much about it and maybe a little bogged down by technical or mechanical thoughts… The objective is to get that ball in the hole and that’s it. I think I lost sight of that a little bit.”
Another big decision by McIlroy was to go with a longer putter.
He went back to a 34.25-inch putter that allowed him to feel more comfortable over the ball rather than the 33-inch one he had been using.
One thing Faxon obviously worked on with McIlroy is that putting is still very much based on feel, freedom and confidence.
After his closing 64 at Bay Hill, looks like McIlroy is full of those right now.
4 Comments
beege
feel, freedom and confidence—not just putting but everything..KISS, but too many want to add to much spice to the recipe…results often disaster.
Tom, saw richard yesterday—talked about old times gators/tobins/you/etc–fun.
Tom Edrington
Putting is still a matter of feel, when people try and get too mechanical — four-putts ensue!
beege
right–the kid that i had winning last week almost did–DeChambeau(sp?) he could be a factor at augusta–talk about mechanical–we use the word unique more than we should at least i hear it a lot–but in his case there is no one that approaches golf like he does…ncaa, us am, john deere……seriously for him it will totally come down to putting and it could be his downfall–he over workes his playbook on the greens
Tom Edrington
Bryson took a lot of abuse from Johnny Miller and Roger Maltbie because of his “mad scientist” approach — foregoing the long-held belief that you still have to rely on “feel” when necessary, he takes that out of the equation…..what I don’t like about him is that he’s so very, very slow, doesn’t start his routine until it’s his turn to hit, he should be doing his calculating, algorithms, math and whatever else it is that goes on as soon as he gets to the ball……not sure about him at Augusta….