For Your U.S. Open Consideration: Conventional Grip McIlroy

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If you were looking for a reason to back Rory at Oakmont, he certainly gave punters all they needed to see on some of the tour's toughest greens.

From Bob Harig's Memorial report on Rory McIlroy's play (-13, T4) just a little over a week before the U.S. Open at Oakmont:

But perhaps more important was McIlroy's putting. Typically a sore spot and the aspect of his game that holds him back, McIlroy was second for the week in strokes gained putting and never took more than 29 putts in a round. (He had more than 30 in each round two weeks ago in Ireland.)

"Off the tee I was really good this week, and I feel like my putting improved a lot,'' he said. "If you look at the stats from my putting, I feel like it's been really good. So all things considered, it's been a decent week. Time to get ready for Oakmont.''

And this from Golf Channel's Justin Ray:

 

 

I think most fascinating about the putter grip change from left hand low to conventional is just how much less he "pops" a putt instead of a stroke. Popping is not a good thing on greens running 14. IMHO.

Tim Warsinskey notes that McIlroy has been preparing by watching the USGA's flyovers.

Apparently he's jumping on the Oregon bandwagon en route to Oakmont...

 

 

Rory: “Back to a nice traditional U.S. Open, not like we’re playing on the moon this year.”

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From Brian Wacker's GolfDigest.com assessment of the state of Rory McIlroy comes a fun line from the lad after a rough week at The Players, indicating the lingering resentment toward the Chambers Bay setup a year later.

He won’t have to wait long for another crack. McIlroy’s next start comes this week at the Irish Open, followed by the Memorial tournament two weeks later, and then the U.S. Open two weeks after that.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said of the year’s next major. “Back to a nice traditional U.S. Open, not like we’re playing on the moon this year.”

Rory Season Is Upon Us, Will He Step Up?

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Rory McIlroy's game has been as good as ever at times but just a bit off too much to be racking up wins, but as I note in this week's Forward Press, the Wells Fargo Championship this week kicks off Rory's month.

Besides returning to Quail Hollow where he posted at 61 last year en route to winning, McIlroy then has two events he finds less compelling--The Players and BMW PGA--along with the Irish Open he hosts. We should have a pretty good idea where his game stands by month's end.

That and TV times on Wednesday's National Instruction Day, NCAA Men's Regional selections on Morning Drive, the European Tour and LPGA Tour this week.

European Tour Winning Battle Of The Bridgestone?

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The news of Rory McIlroy choosing to play the European Tour's 100th French Open June 30-July 3rd instead of the WGC Bridgestone (where he's a former winner and where the European Tour will not be a co-sanctioner this year), allowed ESPN.com's Bob Harig to point out the ugly scheduling showdown between tours.

And based on McIlroy's decision, Harig says the PGA Tour's decision to hold its ground on the WGC date (or having the event at all this year) has backfired.

This WGC's traditional date is prior to the PGA, which wasn't going to work. So what to do?

Move it to a time on the schedule that clearly rankles a so-called partner in these events, the European Tour? Clearly the two sides discussed the situation, with the European Tour expressing its unwillingness to bend on its schedule. And the PGA Tour did it anyway?

McIlroy won't be the only top player to skip Akron. Henrik Stenson is also not going, meaning he will miss two WGCs this year. And defending champion Shane Lowry has a brutal decision to make as a European Tour member who dearly wants to be part of the Ryder Cup team but can't earn any points at the Bridgestone.

One Direction: Rory Skips Par-3 Over Break-up Trend

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Despite suggestions that he is skipping the Masters Par-3 contest to better prepare for four days of major championship play, multiple UK newspapers are reporting that Rory McIlroy lived in fear of causing another break-up by teeing up in the annual Wednesday event. The Northern Irishman recently became engaged to Erica Stoll.

“The fact is, he loves the Par-3,” a source close to McIlroy’s management company old The Guardian. “He loves seeing everyone’s kids and relishes the chance to take three hours to play nine short holes. But the guilt over possibly causing two straight breakups simply by teeing up was weighing on McIlroy.”

McIlroy broke off an engagement with his 2014 Par-3 contest caddie, Caroline Wozniacki.  Sources close to him say that the four-time major champion is convinced he broke up boy band One Direction after employing Niall Horan as his 2015 Par 3 caddie. McIlroy has even asked a private investigator if he somehow influenced the divorce of Greg Norman from Par-3 caddie and tennis great Chris Evert.

“The idea that he might have caused a rift in Harry Styles’ world was causing much stress,” another source told The Telegraph. “He loves One Direction and it breaks his heart that he might have played any kind of role in preventing the world from someday hearing their idea of a 21st century version of Abbey Road.”

McIlroy’s decision prompted rave reviews from the United Kingdom’s most prominent media outlets.

The Financial Times hailed the move, writing, “from a business perspective another high-profile breakup caused by Mr. McIlroy could be fatal to his carefully cultivated image.”

Scotland on Sunday declared it McIlroy's "classiest move yet" and suggested that "this was another example demonstrating how McIlroy is different than Tiger Woods or any other human of the last twenty years."

The Daily Mail praised McIlroy’s “courage in accepting that he might have impacted the dreams of million of early-teen girls and for never allowing such pain to be unleashed again. This is MBE material behavior."

Rory Reveals Awkward Truth: Par-3 Contest A "Hassle"

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As much as we can appreciate the joy the Drive, Chip and Putt has brought to young lives, the Masters' other grow-the-game initiative took a bit of a hit with Rory McIlroy foreshadowing his plan to skip this year' Par-3 contest.

Speaking to The Guardian's Ewan Murray, the man who has famously had Caroline Wozniacki and Niall Horan as caddies and is as likely to enjoy the light pre-tournament mood as the next young star, says it's become a "hassle."


“It’s a bit of a distraction and the year I had my best chance at Augusta, 2011, I didn’t play the par-three contest,” McIlroy said. “So maybe the decision not to play it this year can work in my favour.”

Chairman Payne believes the evolution of the Par-3--which includes more cameos from kids and celebs and all televised on ESPN--can grow the game. But I have trouble imagining big Planned Parenthood donor Clifford Roberts agreeing. The Par-3 has gone from a cool chance for patrons to see old and new players in a relaxed pre-tournament setting, to a bit of a chaotic, disjointed, odd exercise interspersed with elements of the old Par-3.

To put the Par-3 in a different light: if any of the other major championships unveiled a similar pre-first round event, replete with kids running around the greens and celebrity pals chunking shots while dressed in a caddie suit, there would be calls to strip them of major championship status.