Not the time for Rory to press panic buttons
Yesterday was a day to get the formalities over as quickly as possible for a dejected Rory McIlroy. He would, of course, attempt to be as professional as possible in everything he did, but little mattered now that he was no longer in a competitive position in the Open Championship. Once again, as seems to be the case all too often this year, the world’s second ranked player would find himself in the unenviable position of having to defend his latest shortcomings to a packed media centre.
True to form, he would be honest in his evaluation but surely there is little more that he could add to his recent withering assessment of his performances. “Lost and brain dead” speak volumes for where Rory’s mind is at the moment, and this torment is only exasperated all the more by the fact this is another major championship week.
Rory himself would probably have little hesitation in agreeing his playing career is spiralling out of control at the moment, but now is not the time to press any panic buttons as the sporting world is full of athletes who regularly encounter dips in form. That said, if Rory is to avoid any major long-term slump in form, then he must accept some “tough love” from those around him who are trying to offer some good advice. Just this week McIlroy visibly bristled when he heard of Nick Faldo’s suggestion that if he wanted to push on and realise his full potential in the game then he needed to get his “house in order”.
Tough love from a person who divides opinion at best, but it must be remembered that Faldo himself weathered a major slump in his career while making the necessary changes to his swing before going on to win six major championships as the world’s most dominant player.
From here on in the clock is ticking and time will tell if McIlroy is serious about his golfing career. His contract with Nike suggests he better be. Going forward he must now address many of the obvious flaws in his golfing life, such as his management team, his playing schedule and most importantly himself mentally. By taking care of the first two, he will go a long way towards taking care of the third. The third in essence is confidence and McIlroy is a proven fast learner, but change for the better for a struggling golfer is rarely a speedy process. Going forward, McIlroy’s determination will now be measured by his patience in taking small steps rather than giant leaps.
Hard Love indeed!
And what of the tournament itself? Once again, Muirfield has produced a stellar leaderboard of champions all queuing up to win the 142nd Open Championship. The course has proven itself as being both a very fair and worthy adversary to the world’s best players. The weather has also played a significant role in proceedings in that the firm dry conditions have meant multiple strategies being adopted by the players none of which have given any player a decided advantage.
What we do know is that the front nine has offered tremendous opportunities for the golfers to get off to a fast start and most players have taken advantage of this with the exception of the extremely conservative Tiger Woods. His strategy to date has taken him to just one off the lead but I feel that he will have to be a little bolder over the weekend if he is to win his fifteenth major title.
Lee Westwood has looked very sharp this week, buoyed no doubt by a sharper short game and a new coach in Sean Foley. Sometimes little things make a big difference and Justin Rose’s recent victory in the US Open as well as some new thoughts from his coach may well be the telling factor for the nearly man Westwood.
Dustin Johnson will have no fear about winning this weekend and if he can take advantage of his length while limiting the silly bogeys then he stands a good chance. So too does the little wizard Miguel Angel Jimenez. His shot making has been exceptional and with a little self-belief he may just become the oldest Open Champion at 49.
Whatever happens, Muirfield will demand a well-executed game plan and strategy. Fortune may well favour the brave but so too will an odd lucky bounce, a long putt or even a good lie in the rough. It promises to be a great weekend’s golf.
