Can Nappy Factor help end Rory’s Slam wait?
Derek Lawrenson
In the restless search for the missing piece that will free the mind of Rory McIlroy and allow him to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, the best-selling golf author Keith Elliott has always been consistent.
We enjoy a regular correspondence and his emails usually end with the same plaintive refrain: ‘When is Rory going to become a father? that’ll make all the difference.’
With the happy event now imminent, Elliott’s long-held theory regarding the mental boost that golfers receive when they become parents — the nappy Factor he called it — is about to be put to a very high-profile test.
the evidence is persuasive enough to have exercised the mind of the ultimate geek, Bryson dechambeau.
the mad scientist disclosed recently to fellow pro andrew landry that he had worked out the percentage win rate for new fathers — of course he did — and it was abnormally high.
Sadly, landry did not disclose what the rate was in relaying the conversation, but the mechanics are sound enough.
the thing that kills golfers is all the time they have between shots to think, combined with the burden of expectation.
What better way to douse both than the perspective that follows becoming a parent? augusta witnessed a prime example four years ago.
danny Willett arrived only 11 days after his wife had given birth, and freewheeled all the way into a green jacket.
the ultimate specimen is the greatest golfer of all, Jack nicklaus, who became a father at the age of just 22 and would have five children.
In other words, he had golf in perspective his entire career, which helps to explain his longevity.
‘Jack plays golf in his spare time,’ his great friend lee trevino used to say. What a wonderful frame of mind to take into majors. no wonder Jack did all right in them.
and how about Ian Poulter and Webb Simpson? Relative to natural ability, they might be the two biggest over-achievers in the modern game. they also have nine kids between them.
of course, it doesn’t always work. the joy of becoming a father can take away a player’s competitive edge. Graeme Mcdowell’s ferocious practice ethic dulled when he became a parent, and he lost his way for a while.
Will it help Rory (above)? When a golfer playing as well as he has going into several majors in the last two years fails to perform, there is obviously a mental block.
now, in slots where they wouldn’t normally be, the man who will have a baby girl to occupy his mind has got a US open in two weeks and a Masters in two months. Sounds like auspicious timing to me.