Rory McIlroy has received some wise counsel from Butch Harmon, Tiger Woods’ longtime coach, ahead of his most recent effort to complete a career Grand Slam at the Masters. “You’re Rory McIlroy for Christ’s sake, one of the best players who’s ever played the game,” the well-known American golf coach said to him.
Prior to this weekend’s Texas Valero Open, the world No. 2 has been battling with form, having not won a Major in almost a decade and only managing one top-20 performance on the PGA Tour.
In an effort to improve his game, the Northern Irish golfer traveled to Las Vegas last week for a four-hour lesson with Harmon, the former swing expert of Tiger Woods.
After their meeting, McIlroy complimented Harmon, 80, saying he was “sort of half golf coach, half psychologist”.
Harmon revealed that they talked about tactics for the four-time Major winner’s 16th attempt to capture the coveted Green Jacket at Augusta and focused on enhancing his short-iron performance.
The Sky Sports analyst said, “We had a really good session and then we talked about Augusta and his mindset going in there.” “We’re all aware of his intense desire. He has the opportunity to accomplish the career Grand Slam now. The only one absent is this one. He’s had previous opportunities, but they were lost. I thus gave him advice on how to unwind, have fun, and savor the present.I advised you to simply play golf, shot by stroke—you’re one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, Rory McIlroy, for crying out loud. And judging by the way he drives the ball, the course was designed with him in mind.Though it seems simple, he puts too much pressure on himself since he wants it so much.It’s quite easy to suggest that he just needs to unwind and play golf because he wants it so much. It’s what we want for him. The supporters wish it for him. Being oneself is hindered by his family’s desire for him to succeed.
“He should just unwind and play golf; he puts too much pressure on himself.” Everyone, including his family and admirers, wants him to be successful. But occasionally, that desire gets in the way of his capacity to be himself.
“I think if he can just go and be Rory McIlroy, he is going to have a great time and have a great chance on the back nine on Sunday.”
This season, McIlroy has only behind Cameron Champ in PGA Tour performance off the tee, yet he is ranked 119th in strokes gained on approaches to the green.
“He finished like 20th at Bay Hill with 26 birdies,” Harmon went on. We put a lot of effort into fixing his bogeys, which included missing greens with 9-irons and wedges.
“Rory drives it so well because he has a swing that was made for driving; in fact, it’s maybe the best swing in the game right now. He swings it with a huge, long follow through at a speed of 120–125 mph. In an attempt to try to pull the ball out of the air a little bit and better manage the distance, I was attempting to get him to do a more three-quarter swing. His remaining skills are sound. He removed it, looked extremely pleased with himself, and stated he had played really well at Augusta.”
After finishing two practice rounds at Augusta, McIlroy is scheduled to return on Tuesday afternoon. He and Harmon had been together since he was barely 14 years old.