Rory not ready to panic just yet: "There may come a time where I need to address that and really go back to the drawing board”
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a stroke from the No. 4 tee during the second round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 12, 2024.
Rory McIlroy insists it’s not yet time to go back to the drawing board to rebuild his swing after yet another disappointing week at the Masters.
The four-time major champion admitted he lacked the “control” required to survive Friday’s high winds and needs to figure out how to recapture his “freewheeling” form.
The Co Down man (34) missed more than half his greens in his 16th Masters appearance and closed with a 73 to finish tied for 23rd in the clubhouse on four-over par.
“I don't feel like I need to make wholesale changes,” said McIlroy, whose 77 on Friday dented his chances. “That's why I'm playing a lot.
"But if the time comes that I need to make wholesale changes with my golf swing and really try to reassess, it could be a six-month to a year process.
“Not saying I wouldn't play any tournaments in that time, but the focus would be on the sort of technical side of things and really not result driven at all.
“I don't think I'm there yet, but there may come a time where I need to address that and really go back to the drawing board.”
He added: “I feel like I'll play the worst golf that I'll play and finish 20th. But getting the good golf out of myself is just a little bit more difficult than that at the minute than it has been before.”
He will return next year to make his 11th attempt to complete the Grand Slam but he was almost at a loss for words after another week to forget.
“I don't really know what to say,” he said. “Just sort of felt like my game was okay and managed it pretty well, but obviously Friday was a really tough day, and losing five shots sort of put me in a pretty difficult position going into the weekend.
“Then the conditions were pretty tough. The greens are crusty and firm and hard to get the ball super close and hard to make a ton of birdies.
“Once you get seven or eight back going into the weekend here, it's hard to make up that ground.”
He was not so much disappointed as resigned after another average week.
“I guess it's more the same of what I've shown this year,” he said. “It's not as if it's been a down week in comparison to the way I've been playing.
"It's just a matter of me trying to get my game in a bit better shape going towards the rest of the season.”
With three majors to follow in quick succession, he plans tp reflect and then try and regain some control through tournament play.
“I need to take a little bit of time and reflect on this week and what I did well, what I didn't do so well, and sort of try to make a plan for the next few months, especially from here going through obviously the end of July,” he said. “As you say, major season, they're going to come thick and fast here, so hopefully get myself in a bit better form for those last three.
“I'm playing Hilton Head, I'm playing New Orleans. I'll take a week off, playing Quail Hollow, play the PGA, take another week off, then play another four in a row.”
Smiling wistfully, he added: “Loving golf at the moment. Loving it.”
He feels both close and far away at the same time.
“Yeah, because all these disappointing weeks are 20ths, 25ths’ they're not terrible weeks by any stretch, but there's a lot of room for improvement.
“I'm close in some ways, but then I feel quite far away in others. Once I get one thing, sort of put that to bed, then another thing pops up, and it's just one of those at the minute.”
Asked what was missing at Augusta, he said: “Just a little bit of control, I think, with the ball-striking, especially in those sorts of winds.
"It really exposes any weaknesses that you may have. That Friday definitely exposed a few things.
“As the golf course changes here, you just have to be so precise, and I wasn't quite precise enough this week.”
