Sarah Stirk
One of the enduring images from this year’s Ryder Cup was Rory Mcilroy in tears after his singles match against Xander Schauffele. That moment seemed to encapsulate not only all that had gone wrong for Team Europe, but also where Rory was at with his game and career. A talent that had burned so bright as a young man but was now perhaps beginning to fizzle out.
Fast-forward three weeks and Rory registered his 20th PGA Tour title in Las Vegas playing the attacking, carefree golf we have all come to love him for. So could that display of emotion in Wisconsin have been a turning point?
Many critics, me included, have questioned his desire of late. His lacklustre Ryder Cup display came on the back of a poor season by his standards and a Major drought which now stretches into its eighth year. Perhaps a settled and happy home life underpinned by vast wealth had combined, understandably, to blunt his competitive edge.
Rory is the first to admit he’s never had the iron discipline of
Tiger Woods and has always tried to prioritise trying to live as normal a life as possible. He has often used that to deflect some of the criticism that comes his way and this is partly why the media has questioned whether he still has the drive to succeed.
I think what the last 12 months have shown us, however, is quite the opposite. His strange pursuit of Bryson-style extra yards, his new coaching set-up and his emotional outpouring at Whistling Straits all indicate to me that he’s been trying too hard to be the perfect golfer and this has blown him off track. He was searching for an answer to a problem which wasn’t necessarily there.
I’m not saying there weren’t issues with his game before this year, but he’s always managed to produce those really hot weeks. Yes, he hasn’t won a Major since 2014 but he has registered 13 top tens. A player of his talents should have converted some of those into wins but he hasn’t been that far away, and his game was certainly not in need of a major overhaul.
We all know him to be one of the most honest and open guys to interview on tour, which is so refreshing from both a media and viewer perspective. I’ve heard Paul Mcginley say he feels Rory is often too honest, and some of the attention that follows his comments can be a distraction in the build-up to a big tournament. But I think he’s a deep thinker and very conscious of how his comments are portrayed.
His words after his win in Las Vegas were very revealing when he said he went back to “just being me” and that he didn’t need to be perfect to win golf tournaments. He’s also talked about wanting to find that child-like enthusiasm he’s been missing of late, especially with his putting and short game. It’s a well-used line that Rory on his day is better than anyone else, but maybe he finally believes that himself. When he cuts himself some slack and lets loose like we saw at the CJ Cup, he really does look like he could be the best in the world again.
I know it was only a low-scoring end-of-year shoot out, and we’ve had many false dawns with Rory before, but if he can continue to tap into that freedom in his game when it really matters, we may well be talking about a significant moment here.
The real tests will come in the high-pressure weeks that define careers. If he can keep going with this approach, there’s no reason why another Major can’t come his way in the not-toodistant future. I have a feeling that if he can end that Major drought there will be several more to follow in the years to come.
“It was fantastic to see Rory playing attacking, carefree golf again”