McIlroy still putting for dough in spite of poor stats

THERE’S an old saying in golf that goes “You drive for show and you putt for dough”, and this is true in most cases except for a certain Rory McIlroy, and before you think I’ve gone mad, let me explain.

Rory has won in excess of $3.5 million so far this season and $1.1 million from his last three events alone, where he’s shot 10 of the 12 rounds in the sixties for a total of 34 under par, but - and there’s always a but - he’s ranked four places below Seamus Power in the putting stats at 72nd, and Power has won just $77,000 this year so far.

I’m not for a moment belittling Power, but when you’re a better putter (according to the stats) and win $77,000 compared to $3.5 million by a man ranked four places below you for putting, there’s something seriously amiss with your game.

Rory, who is just 30 years old, has won in 12 years as a pro, $70 million on the US Tour, €40 million on the European Tour, earns an estimated $34 million a year from endorsements and charges an appearance fee of $2 million, so who can’t putt?

Now for McIlroy’s driving stats: he’s currently sixth on Tour for Driving Distance, averaging 322 yards, but mysteriously he is ranked at 178th on tour for Driving Accuracy, putting just 56% of his drives on the fairway, so how does he manage to lead the scoring average?

Rory has never been able to enjoy consistency with the blade, and throughout his career he’s been a streaky putter, brilliant at times but pretty average more often than not, so imagine what he could have achieved if he had the putting consistency that Tiger Woods has enjoyed his entire career.