Fine-tuning a major talent
The fact that he won only one tournament, (the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow) on the PGA Tour, was in itself disappointing for Rory, given the opportunities he created for himself throughout the year. That said, the manner in which that win was achieved speaks volumes about the potential all the world’s best players see in him.
Quail Hollow has long been identified as one of the toughest venues on tour. It is a true test of a player’s golfing ability, examining every aspect of a player’s game. Having only just made the cut on 145 (+1), his final 36-hole total not only won him the tournament by four shots but it also bettered anyone else in the field by a full nine strokes. No wonder then that all the commentators were buzzing about him, particularly given the fact that there were no leading Americans really performing throughout most of 2010, with the exception of Phil Mickelson’s victory in the US Masters in early April.
It is hard to fathom just why Rory did not move on after that and win many more events, so let’s once again look at his statistics to see if they might tell us anything.
Off the tee box, Rory hits the ball a long way, averaging 300 yards to be ranked the 12th longest player on the tour. Given his length he is also quite accurate at 62.6% (112th) but from there only hits 66.2% of the greens in regulation to be ranked 120th, which is a poor return, given his ability. For me, one reason for this poor performance may be poor shot execution but having studied him a lot over the past 12 months, I believe many of his problems are caused by him being too aggressive at times, attempting to access too many tight pin positions or playing impossible shots from lies where he has little or no control of the ball.
Rory only makes 3.44 (121st) birdies per round, a very disappointing return given his length off the tee. This obviously reflects poorly on his putting and it is no surprise to see that he only averages 29.22 (128th) putts per round which obviously puts him way behind the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Luke Donald, who average almost four shots less per tournament on the greens. So, Rory has plenty of room for improvement in this department, a must to have a realistic chance of securing multiple victories on the tour and more especially if he is to have a realistic chance of winning any of the majors.
As already explained, the stats above contribute significantly as to why Rory is only ranked 33rd in terms of his stroke average. Not that 70.35 is too bad a return for a man who is still learning his trade!
Moving on, one of the more interesting things we can quickly learn from Rory is his appetite to fight his way into contention for victories which bodes very well for him if he continues to improve. Let me explain: during tournaments, one of Rory’s biggest problems is simply making the cut. His stroke average for the first two rounds is 71.83 (178th) which means that he is likely to make only around two thirds of the cuts in the tournaments he plays in, which is a very poor return for someone of Rory’s calibre. That said, once he makes the cut, he becomes extremely competitive, (Round 3 — 69.73 (39th) & Round 4 — 69.73 (16th) either because he relaxes or because he mentally focuses that bit more in a bid to make up lost ground. For Rory, making up lost ground in run-of-the-mill tournaments may seem relatively easy, but it is far less likely that he will be able to do this as readily in the majors.
THEREFORE, if Rory is to be a serious contender in the major championships in the near future, he is going to have to start a lot faster.
So, if I were Rory, what are the key areas I would address in the close season to make myself more competitive?
(1) I have to fundamentally review my course management. I have the necessary length but I have to make that count more particularly with regard to giving myself better opportunities to make more birdies per round. Specifically, I have to respect the fact that 10ft left of the pin and on the green is a whole lot better than 10ft right of the pin, off the green and potentially in a whole lot of trouble.
(2) I have to improve my putting stats. I am regularly too aggressive with my first putt, which often leads to three putts and loss of momentum.
(3) I need to be a lot more patient on the course and work harder on grinding out my scores, most particularly in the first couple of rounds.
(4) I need to address the performance of my team in terms of giving myself the best opportunities to perform. For example, is my caddy performing to the best of his ability (right advice at the right time, correct yardages, keeping me focused on the course?) and are my management team providing me with the right schedule to optimise my performance, particularly around the majors?
The great thing when looking at McIlroy is that he has so much more room for improvement. He is still on a steep learning curve to get consistently up to the top tear of professional golfers and major champions, but I feel his dedication coupled with some sound management should see him there in the not-too-distant future.
