Rory’s putting worries return
FOUR tournaments down, four more to go before Rory McIlroy pitches up at the Masters for his third tilt at the career Grand Slam. How is that half-time report looking?
Four largely unmemorable rounds at the Genesis Open at Riviera came to an end yesterday with him running up truly unwanted statistic.
At just under 17 months, this is now officially the longest streak of his career without a victory. Now, following another barren week in Los Angeles, that period of time has been exceeded and there is not much sign of it ending any time soon.
True, the year began with so much promise, as he chalked up some remarkable statistics in finishing third in Abu Dhabi and runner-up in Dubai. But a missed cut at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am was followed by some erratic play here at what should have been a classic course for a man of his abilities.
Sadly, the abiding image of McIlroy was him sighing heavily with a perplexed look on his face, after another miscued putt or one veering in a direction he had not foreseen.
Once more, therefore, all the focus is on his putting, something that was not supposed to happen after spending long hours during his winter sabbatical searching for a solution. The fact is, he has always been a streaky player, and it is hard to see him winning a green jacket unless he is heading to Georgia with a win under his belt.
He was a long way from that scenario yesterday. Every step forward was invariably followed by a humbling one back, and he followed up his eagle with a bogey at the fifth. He handed in a 68 to finish in the middle of the pack at three under.