This is Wells Fargo week outside Charlotte at big-boy course Quail Hollow and we can’t help but remember how good someone used to be on this track.
We’re talking about Rory McIlroy, who shot 62 in the first round back in 2010 and won with a 273 total — 11-under par.
Five years later he shot a tournament record 61 in the third round on his way to a tournament record 267 — an eye-opening 17-under par.
Fast forward to this week’s 2021 version of the championship and that Rory from six years ago has gone missing in action.
The last time we saw The Pride Of Northern Ireland was at The Masters where he looked pretty clueless with rounds of 76-74, missing the cut, badly. Since then, Rory has slipped in the Official World Golf Rankings, checking in this week at a lowly 15th. Seriously? One-win Tony Finau is now ranked higher than Rory.
Time flies and on Tuesday, Rory turned a ripe-old 32 and his game has regressed the past two seasons.
So what’s the deal?
Ireland’s Paul McGinley, the winning 2014 European Ryder Cup captain knows what’s ailing Rory.
“We all know where Rory’s weaknesses are,” McGinley explained not long after Rory admitted he was chasing more distance, coming under the evil influence of distance-obsessed, driver-crushing, rules-arguing, U.S. Open winning, Masters-floundering Bryson DeChambeau. “His (Rory’s) approach play particularly, over the last 12-14 months, has really fallen off the planet, especially with his short-irons. If you look at his statistics from 50 to 150 yards in, he’s ranked around 200th on the PGA Tour, which is not far from last.”
McGinley couldn’t believe his ears when Rory confessed to the Bryson-inspired distance hunt. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard Rory say that, but I’m not surprised,” McGinley said. “Professional golfers are like sheep, we are going to follow somebody who is having some success. What’s incredible is that one of the best drivers of the ball that we’ve ever seen in the game (Rory) thinks that he might need to find another 10 or 15 yards.”
McGinley believes McIlroy should follow the lead of world’s No. 1 Dustin Johnson.
“With the addition nowadays of all the monitoring devices, it’s about hard work, application and dialing in the numbers. Look at Dustin Johnson; he’s had a phenomenal run over the last six or seven months, and he spends three-quarters of every practice session working on shots from 50 yards to 150 yards,” McGinley pointed out. “He (D.J.) hits very few drivers and very few long-irons, his work with coach Claude Harmon is mostly about dialing in the scoring clubs, and it’s the same with his putting.”
McIlroy made a big change in March. He started working with instructor Pete Cowen. Obviously it’s a tough task to come to a major after making that sort of switch and it showed with Rory’s play at Augusta National.
Michael Bannon had been Rory’s instructor since he was a youngster and as McGinley put it: “Nobody knows Rory’s swing better than Michael.” McGinley also shared his observations about Rory’s swing:
“When McIlroy’s swing goes off, the problem is normally down to fundamentals, it’s never something massively wrong. I’d hate to see him having to learn a new swing under a new coach.”
Which brings us to this week’s Wells Fargo and Quail Hollow, a place where Rory has had enormous success.
There was no event last year (thank-you pandemic) and in 2019 Rory finished T8. He was T16 in 2018 and T4 in 2016. The Wells wasn’t played at Quail in ’17 as the PGA Championship, won by Justin Thomas, was played there.
So it’s a tough call on Rory this week. He hasn’t played since The Masters and it’s getting to be about that time for him to find what’s been dormant inside him.
It’s time for Rory to step up and with his resume, hopefully Cowen didn’t try and rebuild the swing.
McGinley hit the nail on the head — everyone knows where Rory’s weaknesses lie.
Time to get rid of them.
10 Comments
baxter cepeda
Rory put so much emphasis on bryson because driving prowess has always been the key to his success.
Rory can get ultra hot with the irons; wedges and short game; he can even get rolling with the putter.
But the driver has always been rorys identity and he knows it’s the key to his consistent success.
So can’t blame the guy for experimenting with some of what bryson is showing is possible. No doubt he will get back to Rory driving.
But ultimately it’s rorys shorter approaches and putting which falls short too often; and Blaming all that on chasing bryson is kinda making lame excuses imo considering these are all old issues.
Rory will eventually see his old coach again and that will help. Meanwhile Cowan is a helpful pair of eyes; someone whom has cache to confidently recommend tweaks because he likely won’t cause major damage with giant changes. So all that is good.
Ultimately Rory—who is a father now — needs to decide how great he still wants to be. Not questioning rorys work ethic but while quality work with coaches is important, simply putting in a good quantity of work (by oneself) has to be getting tougher for Rory these days.
He’s given himself time after the Masters. If he has fixed the minor issues with driver, and made some improvements elsewhere, Rory can definitely do it this week. But that’s a big if at this point.
Tom Edrington
I think you need to re-read and pay attention to Paul McGinley pointing out that Rory is about as good from 50-150 yards out as, well, no one!
baxter cepeda
No argument that Rorys short approach game is undeniably bad lately.
But we have also seen Rory hole out from 50-150 when that’s all he had to stay in contention; as he did in East Lake.
The year he threw away the Masters if you remember he hit some of the most sublime approach shots ever. I think he holed one with unbelievable spin control. The driver let him down that day.
If there’s one thing we know is Rorys statistical weaknesses —even the underwhelming eye tests— can suddenly catch fire for a period of time. And they will again.
Imo this will happen when Rory Gets back to work with his lifelong coach. Not taking anything away from anyone but that’s obviously a special duo even with some holes.
Bryson’s growth and success has a lot to do with his coach seemingly being by his side 24-7 the last couple years… while Rory never really sees his guy.
Rickie lost His lifelong coach, who recommended butch, only to lose butch to retirement; not easy.
What would happen to JT if his pops couldn’t work with him for some reason?
Same with super consistent Sergio and his dad; and so many others whom have a rock of a coach; what would happen to them if they spent two years apart?
That’s the big question for me.
Tom Edrington
Butch is “semi” retired, still works with those who really WANT to work; You obviously love Rory almost as much as my neighbor Lucy!
baxter cepeda
I like Rory because he produces big time moments like few can; but theres a bunch of guys ahead of him on my rooting list.
Tom Edrington
I tell my neighbor Lucy and it was a great line from my sister when she saw me pulling for Rory and it went: “Rory will always let you down.” So far, that’s been pretty spot-on by my sis!
RM
As I recall, Tom, you had a column about this very problem with Rory’s wedge game a year or two ago. Love to see him solve it, and hate to hear about him chasing extra distance.
I don’t have the stats but my perception was that Rory became a bit more injury prone when he went to hard core weight workouts a la Tiger. Hope he doesn’t decide the new solution with Bryson’s extra yardage is to add about 15 pounds to his midsection.
Tom Edrington
Rory’s looking fit lately and can’t wait to see how he performs this week at Quail Hollow after some time off to practice.
baxter cepeda
He’s doing pretty pretty well.
While it’s nice to see Rory playing well it’s one of the saddest things ever if rors feels like hitting 4 fairways with fades off the tee is somehow a better option than his old trusty draws.
If Rory frigging McIlroy has to abandon the draw driver because of new technology,,,then there is something terribly wrong with the new technology… exhibit 1A now that something has to give imo.
Never thought I would see the day Rory has to go exclusively with a cut off the tee. #sad4golf
Tom Edrington
Rory’s “cut” is a five-yard draw…