DRIVEN ROUND THE BEND

Padraig: Dechambeau has done to Rory exactly what Rory did to me a decade ago

PADRAIG HARRINGTON says he can sympathise with Rory Mcilroy’s attempt to beef up his driving – because he was in the same boat a decade ago.

Mcilroy admitted recently that his game has gone pear-shaped because of his misguided bid to match the power-hitting of American muscle man Bryson Dechambeau.

And European Ryder Cup captain Harrington understands the Irishman’s dilemma because he himself tried to match the driving of the man who won the 2011 US Open by a country mile – a certain Rory Mcilroy.

“Rory did it to me,” admitted Harrington (right). “He blitzed Congressional to win the US Open using his driver and he put the pressure on all of the leading players who were not power-hitters.

“We all got the feeling that if Rory was at his best we couldn’t beat him. And Bryson has got everyone thinking the same thing now. But I don’t think it was a road Rory needed to go down because he was already the No.1 driver in the game.”

After slipping out of the world’s top 10 for the first time in three years and exiting the WGC

Match Play at the group stage in his last appearance, Mcilroy’s chances of landing his first US

Masters look slim.

When last year’s rearranged Masters took place behind closed doors in November, he finished fifth, a sixth top10 finish at Augusta in his last seven appearances.

But on current form it’s difficult to see him troubling the leaders next week. Indeed, Mcilroy has called in one of the sport’s most experienced coaches in Pete Cowen to try to sort out his issues but the straight-talking Yorkshireman has counselled against expectations of an instant cure.

Harrington, however, is not so sure. He believes Cowen could prove a significant influence and that the new alliance – along with the modest expectations of Mcilroy at Augusta next week – could hit the US Masters jackpot.

“If you change coach it can sometimes be seen as a long process but a change is as good as a rest,” he said. “We will all be interested to see how he does

“Rory has been trying to find that magic formula when it comes to Augusta and a lot of that centres around preparation.

“Maybe having a little bit of the pressure off and having a new fresh look from Pete Cowen could help.

“Who knows, it could well be the catalyst to give him that spark and be the free-flowing Rory Mcilroy that we all love to watch.

“It could be good for him. It’s going to happen at some stage in the Masters for him. We’re just waiting for it.”

Mcilroy is traditionally one of the favourites for the Masters but this year he is quoted at 16-1 by bookies. Those odds are probably shorter than they should be because bookies know the 31-year-old will always be backed by British punters

Dechambeau, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth all figure more prominently in the betting.