Rory McIlroy - 4 Time Major Winner

mickmackey1

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

And - after all that , maybe Rory is right not to be a robotic golf pro. He could be right, for years I wanted him to break all the records. I genuinely think he may not want that.

This is it in a nutshell. He has the talent to win 9/10 majors but just not the relentless drive to achieve it. Sometimes I think his majors came so easily that it made him wonder what the fuss was, that it was no big deal to keep proving he was better than the other guys. Ultimately his place in the history books doesn't seem to matter all that much to him, if he's remembered along with the other 4-majors guys well so be it. Pity really, but it is what it is.

luvthegame

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

A bit strange people fairly into golf, sort of writing and talking Rory off again. It is madness in a way. Even in mainstream media etc. So mad to write him off - they are all very solvable. And he can turn them around very quickly.

I think people are writing him off for the Open and justifiably so. Im not sure many are writing him off for the rest of the season. He could well win the PGA and a few more before years end.

You make a lot of good points as usual, a balanced assessment of where he is at and possibly why.

Ive just watched an interview with him on golfchannel and I cant remember him sounding as downbeat before a major since 2013. He is talking a good talk but he doesnt believe a word of it.

I dont see coming even close to contending. At best sneaking into top 10 with a good Sunday. Could just as easily miss the cut.

ligerdub

I'm sure he's trying hard enough.

How do we know that the other guys are working harder than him?

The other guys coming through are also freak talents much like he is. Form comes and goes, nobody is on all the time.

The titles and accolades they built up are done built on a base of years and years of hard work.

Some great wins are built in periods of the greatest toil.....this could be the same for Rory.

Jason Day has been in similar form and is doing so stealthily. I wouldn't be surprised if either of them rock up this week and do well, aside maybe from the fact that I hear it's going to be VERY windy on Saturday, which doesn't suit Rory.

ligerdub

I'm sure he's trying hard enough.

How do we know that the other guys are working harder than him?

The other guys coming through are also freak talents much like he is. Form comes and goes, nobody is on all the time.

The titles and accolades they built up are done built on a base of years and years of hard work.

Some great wins are built in periods of the greatest toil.....this could be the same for Rory.

Jason Day has been in similar form and is doing so stealthily. I wouldn't be surprised if either of them rock up this week and do well, aside maybe from the fact that I hear it's going to be VERY windy on Saturday, which doesn't suit Rory.

Russman

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

A bit strange people fairly into golf, sort of writing and talking Rory off again. It is madness in a way. Even in mainstream media etc.

There is a lot of stuff going on for Rory - and he has made it clear that he doesn't just want to be a golfer. He has said it without saying it straight up - he gets a bit bored of golf - he doesn't want to be a Tiger Woods , a one dimensional modern pro .

This year he got married at a very strange time in season - clearly enjoyed his honeymoon.
And (I know controversial) got injured in one of two ways - changing equipment mid season - or in the gym.
He then comes home to run a golf event in a very hands on way in his home country - and even going home for him would be a big deal.

His talent and skill is bizarre - but the guys chasing him are trying harder and have no distraction and one life goal.

After all above, Rory can just flip and decide he is not happy being what - number 4 or number 10 or whatever , I think it will be a flip. And he is so good - he will ramp it up at a pace that he surprises us again. What that motivation will be - I don't know, the likes of Rahm coming to his home place and showing him how far he has fallen (could be it) - it could be a comment by someone he listens to , or something he reads. Who knows - it could be his family or his own mind. Most likely , will need to be from within him.

And - after all that , maybe Rory is right not to be a robotic golf pro. He could be right, for years I wanted him to break all the records. I genuinely think he may not want that. I want that , but that has nothing to do with it.

On the technical side - I just don't get major equipment changes at all (in season).
On the putting - he is very very far behind the rest - and this is just practice , I mean, real practice at a level he isn't running a golf tournament or getting married mid season or going to a UFC fight, or working on equipment changes that result in injury. I mean locked away for a month - yes , 12 to 14 hour days. Is he doing that ? - If he is , then you are worried , because he has lost his putting and that is a very very serious issue.
Seen a photo on J Rahm's twitter, foot marks in the green from doing the same putt for hours.

I'm beginning to agree with a few others that his long game is placing him in an area he struggles with - spin control and slight reduction in swing for wedges. It is a struggle for many a golfer. He genuinely needs to consider new coaching / practice here. And if he can't do that , he and JP need to pick where they end up on par 4s/5s way better. Avoid the weak area. The Open is a perfect place to do this.

So mad to write him off - they are all very solvable. And he can turn them around very quickly.

Rory will make up his own mind when.

And he has done it before - it seems very very unlikely , but he could easily turn up and play well at The Open. They guy is just unpredictable and his own man. In life, this can be your greatest strength and weakness. But no one is perfect.

Excellent post Fix.
Disagree slightly with 12/14 hour days on the putting green. I'm paraphrasing Rotella slightly but he made the point that grinding it out, endless practice can work for someone going from very good to great, but for someone who is already at that top level its often not the answer. I think its like some footballers who need to train hard and practice like mad, then you have the really talented ones who can do all that the other guys do with hardly an effort at all.

Ronney

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

A bit strange people fairly into golf, sort of writing and talking Rory off again. It is madness in a way. Even in mainstream media etc.

There is a lot of stuff going on for Rory - and he has made it clear that he doesn't just want to be a golfer. He has said it without saying it straight up - he gets a bit bored of golf - he doesn't want to be a Tiger Woods , a one dimensional modern pro .

This year he got married at a very strange time in season - clearly enjoyed his honeymoon.
And (I know controversial) got injured in one of two ways - changing equipment mid season - or in the gym.
He then comes home to run a golf event in a very hands on way in his home country - and even going home for him would be a big deal.

His talent and skill is bizarre - but the guys chasing him are trying harder and have no distraction and one life goal.

After all above, Rory can just flip and decide he is not happy being what - number 4 or number 10 or whatever , I think it will be a flip. And he is so good - he will ramp it up at a pace that he surprises us again. What that motivation will be - I don't know, the likes of Rahm coming to his home place and showing him how far he has fallen (could be it) - it could be a comment by someone he listens to , or something he reads. Who knows - it could be his family or his own mind. Most likely , will need to be from within him.

And - after all that , maybe Rory is right not to be a robotic golf pro. He could be right, for years I wanted him to break all the records. I genuinely think he may not want that. I want that , but that has nothing to do with it.

On the technical side - I just don't get major equipment changes at all (in season).
On the putting - he is very very far behind the rest - and this is just practice , I mean, real practice at a level he isn't running a golf tournament or getting married mid season or going to a UFC fight, or working on equipment changes that result in injury. I mean locked away for a month - yes , 12 to 14 hour days. Is he doing that ? - If he is , then you are worried , because he has lost his putting and that is a very very serious issue.
Seen a photo on J Rahm's twitter, foot marks in the green from doing the same putt for hours.

I'm beginning to agree with a few others that his long game is placing him in an area he struggles with - spin control and slight reduction in swing for wedges. It is a struggle for many a golfer. He genuinely needs to consider new coaching / practice here. And if he can't do that , he and JP need to pick where they end up on par 4s/5s way better. Avoid the weak area. The Open is a perfect place to do this.

So mad to write him off - they are all very solvable. And he can turn them around very quickly.

Rory will make up his own mind when.

And he has done it before - it seems very very unlikely , but he could easily turn up and play well at The Open. They guy is just unpredictable and his own man. In life, this can be your greatest strength and weakness. But no one is perfect.

All very valid points. But I think it all comes down to 1 thing and that is putting.

You look at any Player who is dominating and the one thing they have in common is their putting is on fire.
Think Tiger in his prime, Harrington winning Majors, Speiths Golden year, DJ this last season and even Rahm at the moment.

We Have seen him change from his Nike Anser style, back to a fastback scotty, then to a Taylormaide Spider and more recently to a TM Anser style. With a dose of cack handed thrown in the middle.

I think from memory his success in congressional came just after changing routine to no practice swings.

Tee to green playing average he is a match for anyone. I just dont think he converts enough opportunities/makes enough scrambles when needed.

He also seams to have a look about him when a put is missed that its not his fault as he has done everything right.

Hopefully he has one of those days soon where he makes a few and the confidence gets back up

diomed

There are so many things that I think he doesn't want: narrow fairways, fast greens, rough, wind. Perhaps I'm just imagining things.
I think he is not a strategy player, plotting his way around.
Tell me I'm wrong.

ligerdub

To be fair he'd say himself he doesn't fancy tough weather conditions. His high ball doesn't compete in the sh*te weather.

75%+ of the rounds elite golfers play in are in that bracket of fair weather. It's no surprise that his biggest failures have been in the Irish open and it's tendency for high winds and relative cool weather.

He's a bully in the high yardage, soft condition courses, he outmuscles pretty much anyone and can manage the rest from there.

His career is probably best summarised by two consecutive rounds in 2010, 1. a majestic 63 around St Andrews in Rd one played in beautiful conditions and took a dominant position with a 2 shot lead, and 2. an 80 on the same course the very next day in crap conditions.....and played himself out of the tournament.

qwabercd

luvthegame wrote: »

I think people are writing him off for the Open and justifiably so. Im not sure many are writing him off for the rest of the season. He could well win the PGA and a few more before years end.

I definitely wouldn't write him off. Wouldn't be rushing to the bookies to back him but pro golfers can turn form around so quickly.

Look at shinkwin last week - absolutely no form at all and out of nowhere he turns it around and finishes second (should have won).

Sometimes it takes very little to turn things around - a swing thought, something minor on the putting green, a little run of luck on the course. If anyone can turn it around it's McIlroy. He's been out of form but it's not like he's been in a long term slump like David duval or someone like that.

CMOTDibbler

ligerdub wrote: »

His career is probably best summarised by two consecutive rounds in 2010, 1. a majestic 63 around St Andrews in Rd one played in beautiful conditions and took a dominant position with a 2 shot lead, and 2. an 80 on the same course the very next day in crap conditions.....and played himself out of the tournament.

He won at Kiawah Island in 2012 in very windy conditions, never dropping out of the top five. He won at the K club last year in similarly challenging conditions. It's a bit of a myth imo that he can't play in windy conditions. I think that's more to do with how he plays links courses and often the disadvantage there is for the big hitters.

ligerdub

CMOTDibbler wrote: »

He won at Kiawah Island in 2012 in very windy conditions, never dropping out of the top five. He won at the K club last year in similarly challenging conditions. It's a bit of a myth imo that he can't play in windy conditions. I think that's more to do with how he plays links courses and often the disadvantage there is for the big hitters.

Was it that bad at the K Club last year? I didn't think it was particularly bad. There was a rain delay on the last day granted, but it was quite abrupt and harsh and they were off the course for quite a while.

My memory of Kiawah Island was that the weather caused the delays, but that they didn't really play in these tough conditions. They played under relatively tough conditions on the second day and he didn't play as well as the rest of the contenders, but well enough that he stayed in the tournament.

He charged though the field when they had to play the remaining round and a half on a relatively benign Sunday.

ligerdub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJn0v2ajLMM

6 mins into the clip.

Ronney

ligerdub wrote: »

Was it that bad at the K Club last year? I didn't think it was particularly bad. There was a rain delay on the last day granted, but it was quite abrupt and harsh and they were off the course for quite a while.

My memory of Kiawah Island was that the weather caused the delays, but that they didn't really play in these tough conditions. They played under relatively tough conditions on the second day and he didn't play as well as the rest of the contenders, but well enough that he stayed in the tournament.

He charged though the field when they had to play the remaining round and a half on a relatively benign Sunday.

As an amateur he didnt fair too bad on the Links, Back 2 Back Wests in Rosses, Irish Close in European! 61 round Portrush in the North and A Rosepenna Scratch Cup.

I'm sure the wind was up on at least one of those days

ligerdub

Ronney wrote: »

As an amateur he didnt fair too bad on the Links, Back 2 Back Wests in Rosses, Irish Close in European! 61 round Portrush in the North and A Rosepenna Scratch Cup.

I'm sure the wind was up on at least one of those days

I'm just going by what he himself says.....watch the clip sure.

It stands to reason too, he hits the ball higher than almost all of the others.

luvthegame

ligerdub wrote: »

It stands to reason too, he hits the ball higher than almost all of the others.

You know im not even sure height is the issue, its sidespin. Stenson hits the ball as high as anyone with his irons yet his shots seem to stay straight and cut through the wind. And sidespin is why i think Rorys short irons go wayward so often as well.

ligerdub

Ronney wrote: »

As an amateur he didnt fair too bad on the Links, Back 2 Back Wests in Rosses, Irish Close in European! 61 round Portrush in the North and A Rosepenna Scratch Cup.

I'm sure the wind was up on at least one of those days

Also, let's not forget here, he is one of the best players in the world and was probably streets ahead of everyone else in those fields. It's no surprise he won those events whatever the weather.

Also a 61 at Portrush......I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that was on a beautiful day. Links golf is a funny animal. It looks dreadfully simple on sunny days with no wind.

Ronney

ligerdub wrote: »

I'm just going by what he himself says.....watch the clip sure.

It stands to reason too, he hits the ball higher than almost all of the others.

Not Disagreeing, everyone can agree his game favors non links, But even looking at that clip how many short putts does it show him missing!

CMOTDibbler

ligerdub wrote: »

Was it that bad at the K Club last year? I didn't think it was particularly bad. There was a rain delay on the last day granted, but it was quite abrupt and harsh and they were off the course for quite a while.

The second day was atrocious. Granted the worst of the wind was in the afternoon, but it was still strong enough when he was playing. Iirc, the rest of the tournament was less wind, more rain except the first day which was sunny.

ligerdub wrote: »

My memory of Kiawah Island was that the weather caused the delays, but that they didn't really play in these tough conditions. They played under relatively tough conditions on the second day and he didn't play as well as the rest of the contenders, but well enough that he stayed in the tournament.

The only one of the top ten who had a round in the sixties was Vijay Singh. Everyone else was in the seventies. Nobody who finished in the top ten on Sunday had less than a 71 on the second day. McIlroy had a 75. As a contrast, Justin Rose had a 79, Graeme McDowell had a 76 and David Lynn had a 74. I would say he ground out a decent round on that second day.

ligerdub wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJn0v2ajLMM

6 mins into the clip.

I'm not saying he likes playing in the wind. Just that it doesn't mean he can't play in it. There are definitely better golfers for those conditions and his playing style doesn't suit them. The big hitters always suffer on links courses and I think that's where McIlroy has trouble.

But his big problem at the moment isn't the conditions. It's his approach game. He's missing greens in flat calm conditions and if he's hitting them, it's too far from the pin to have any realistic chance of birdies.

Panrich

Bit of a nightmare start.

Jayop

I'm only looking at the scorecard but looks like a bad drive put him in trouble. Had a two putt so at least it wasn't the putting let him down.


That's a tough hole anyway.

Henry Ford III

It's a truly ugly start for Rors. The cut is looming already.

AGC

Hasn't hit a fairway, missing greens, missing putts, just all over the place at the minute unfortunately.

lawred2

<barstool bullsh!t>
he's trying too hard - needs to relax and let the natural golfer come out
</barstool bullsh!t>

<barstool bullsh!t>
he's not trying hard enough - the money is made
</barstool bullsh!t>

<barstool bullsh!t>
he hit the gym far too much
</barstool bullsh!t>

Potential Underachiever

He won't be winning this by 5 or 6 shots anyway, that's for sure.

Henry Ford III

As my dear uncle Jim always said "regular sex ruins your game".

He was a scratch golfer but was plug ugly and had a very low scoring rate away from the course.

CMOTDibbler

Henry Ford III wrote: »

As my dear uncle Jim always said "regular sex ruins your game".

He was a scratch golfer but was plug ugly and had a very low scoring rate away from the course.

Well he had a long time girlfriend and then switched to a certain tennis player, so he was in relationships right through his first two major wins anyway.

There goes that theory.

luvthegame

2013 was the last time I saw him consistently as bad as this.......after he switched to Nike.

Henry Ford III

CMOTDibbler wrote: »

Well he had a long time girlfriend and then switched to a certain tennis player, so he was in relationships right through his first two major wins anyway.

There goes that theory.

You're assuming too much.

CMOTDibbler

luvthegame wrote: »

2013 was the last time I saw him consistently as bad as this.......after he switched to Nike.

Yeah, he seems to be slow to get to grips with new gear.

Injuries and other off course events probably haven't helped either.

ziggy

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