Rory’s suffering as he tries to get to grips with crowd-free golf
Playing golf inside the Covid-19 secure bubble has not been to every player’s taste – and Rory Mcilroy definitely falls into that category.
The Northern Irish star has not finished inside the top-10 in the six events he has played since the PGA Tour resumed in June, and he has slipped from No.1 to third in the World Rankings.
Mcilroy has openly admitted that he is missing the fans in these behindclosed-doors events, given that he has always had large galleries following him ever since he turned professional.
That comes as no surprise to leading sports psychologist, Dr John Pates.
He was inside the ropes at Gleneagles with players like Mcilroy at the 2014 Ryder Cup, as the psychologist for the European team, and he has seen first-hand what makes them tick.
“It’s very weird and eerie for these guys to have absolutely no crowd watching them,” said Pates.
“That makes it very difficult to get the big highs.
“All players have emotions that trigger their best golf. Some guys like Rory need high energy, and without it they struggle.
“The best players thrive on crowds. That’s what makes them the best, as very few can do it in that environment.
“They play better in front of people. It increases their concentration and awareness, and they want to please the spectators.
“They need that element of excitement, which enables them to perform to their maximum and produce special shots.
“For these players – and I think of Ryder Cup heroes like Graeme Mcdowell and Ian Poulter – competition is a rush.
“I can imagine they are finding it much more difficult in this current format.
“The great hope is for crowds to be allowed back in for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in October.
“The players all have that on their mind as an end goal.”
As Mcilroy misses his spark in postlockdown play, others have taken their opportunity, with Collin Morikawa becoming the newest Major winner with his US PGA triumph a fortnight ago – his second victory in just a few weeks.
While Sam Horsfield, also 23, has been the star of the UK swing on the European Tour with breakthrough successes at the Hero Open and then last Sunday’s Celtic Classic.
In the eyes of Dr Pates – who works with Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher amongst others – this has been the case of up-and-coming talent taking advantage of a unique situation.
“Young players have everything to gain and nothing to lose at the moment,” he explained.
“It’s the opposite for an established player. The older guys have nothing to gain and everything to lose.
“For guys like Collin and Sam, these events may have felt more like practice rounds. That means the nerves are less likely to kick in.
“There are fewer distractions for them than if they had been contending in a tournament with large galleries in attendance.”
Away from the course, there is plenty of down time during a normal tournament week.
But current rules in place on the European Tour mean that players can only socialise with one other person – their caddie.
Everyone accepts why the rules are in place, but Dr Pates admits this presents a huge psychological and mental challenge that is very difficult to sustain.
“Players have always been a bit clique-y and socialising is not that prevalent,” he says. “But the barrier of not having the freedom to do it has more of an impact.
“It has a massive impact on the caddies. Go to the nearest Irish bar at every tournament venue and you will find the caddies.
“That’s the place they all come together, and that has been taken away from them.
“They often share rooms with each other because of close friendships and they can’t do that right now, either. “The player and the caddie have never had this dynamic before, where they have to rely on each other for social support as well.
“So this whole bubble format poses a big mental-health risk for all involved.”