It is just the same old story for Rory
THIS year’s Irish Open was a stunning success and beautiful Ballyliffin stole the show.
The only downer on the Inishowen Peninsula was the lack of an Irish challenge.
None of the homegrown players made an impact, including tournament host Rory Mcilroy.
I followed Rory’s game from inside the ropes for the first three rounds and it felt like groundhog day.
He was immaculate tee to green, but had a torrid time on the greens.
He should have had a comfortable lead after two rounds, but his putter was so cold it had icicles on it. His body language is also a concern and the worry is that he seems to be coasting these days.
I expect so much more from him because his levels are on a different stratosphere to other players.
But he looks flat and as a fan, it’s frustrating to watch.
Mcilroy’s talent is unquestionable, but sometimes the marginal gains aren’t found in technique. More often than not, it’s a mental edge that separates the top players.
Form and confidence feed off each other in golf and both are proving elusive at the moment.
Is he still hurting from the Masters? Is his four year Major drought feeding into a wider sense of self doubt?
Only he knows the answers to those questions.
If he sorts out his green stats, he’ll get back to winning ways again – no doubt about that – but when your confidence is low, the first part of your game to suffer is your putting.
It’s a vicious circle. A series of missed putts and Rory’s head also drops.
It doesn’t surprise me that Brad Faxon emailed him a video after the Irish Open highlighting his poor body language after several missed putts. Attitude is crucial on the greens.
In terms of technique, his upper body alignment is too far left and you can’t release the putter from there. It’s a set-up issue.
His green reading is also atrocious and the book he’s using these days should be shredded.
While Rory’s long game is great, his course management is open to improvement.
Why risk attacking every pin when a more measured approach might aid the flow of your round? That’s where Rory’s caddy should be more vocal.
His game is close and I still fancy him to contend at Carnoustie – but only if changes are made.
I hope his support team has the ability to home in on what needs to be fixed.
More importantly, they have to have the balls to say it.
He can’t fix it on his own – it’s time for Mcilroy’s inner circle to step up.