Chandler helps McIlroy master the mind games

RORY McILROY made it look like child’s play but the Ulsterman’s stunning PGA Tour breakthrough at Quail Hollow required some intense work behind the scenes from his backroom team.

Chubby Chandler built his International Sports Management agency on the back of his painful experiences as a journeyman professional.

But he was made to work hard for his percentage of McIlroy’s $1.17m (€88.64m) Sunday pay-off as his biggest asset threatened to tie himself in knots.

McIlroy was a broken young man when he missed his second successive cut of the season at Augusta National and threatened to skip Quail Hollow and this week’s Players so he could take time out to get his head together.

Concerned about a lower back injury he picked up in Dubai in January, he developed an over-reliance on his physio and sought the help of mental coach Dr Bob Rotella and 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus.

Enter Chandler and caddie JP Fitzgerald, who convinced McIlroy that he was trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

“We ended up with too much advice,” Chandler said yesterday. “I can’t say that the chat with Jack Nicklaus was negative but it probably was at the time. Although Jack was trying to help him lots and was fantastic doing it, Rory would have worked all that out for himself.

“Amongst all those fantastic shots yesterday, the biggest sign of maturity was his tee shot on 17, aiming at the fat of the green. Who knows, that might have been because Jack Nicklaus had those words with him.

“Rory felt that there was too much going on in March. Everything was complicated.

“So I had a long chat after he missed the cut at the Masters. I said: ‘Go home.’ The whole idea now is for Rory McIlroy to be happy and if Rory McIlroy is happy then he will play well.

“In five years time, Rory McIlroy will be as patient as anybody but right now he is 20 years old and all he wants to do is hole every shot he sees.

“In a funny sort of way, that is why JP was always a decent caddie for him. He didn’t need somebody to tell him to hit away from the flag. He needed somebody who understood Rory McIlroy and was a good companion for him. I think you will find that JP just let him flow yesterday.’’

Chandler is aware that his advice would have counted for nothing had McIlroy not eagled Quail Hollow’s seventh, his 16th, on Friday to make the cut on the mark.

“That eagle on Friday was massive – it almost might change his career,” Chandler said.