Rory McIlroy will take the positives from an improved putting performance into the Players Championship as he seeks a second victory at Sawgrass.
McIlroy, who won golf’s unofficial ‘fifth major’ in 2019, began his PGA Tour campaign with victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but was unable to mount a serious title challenge in each of his subsequent starts.
However, the four-time major winner was encouraged by his performance on the greens in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where an experiment with new equipment proved to be short-lived.
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“It feels good,” McIlroy said of his game during a pre-tournament interview.
“I’d say even the two finishes post-Pebble have been almost like the worst that they could be. I finished bad on Sunday at Bay Hill. I finished bad on Sunday at Torrey Pines, as well.
“But the one thing I would say is the turnaround in my putting from Torrey to Bay Hill was great. I finished, I think, fifth [actually seventh] in putting last week, so to see that turn around was really encouraging.
“That’s something for me to be really encouraged about going into this week, obviously, and then the next few months.”
McIlroy switched to some of his sponsor’s new clubs for the first three rounds at Bay Hill but struggled to get to grips with the updated equipment and returned to his old set-up on Sunday.
McIlroy was encouraged by his putting during the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)
“Some years you vibe with a new piece of equipment a little easier,” McIlroy explained.
“Like that Qi10 that I’m using that they brought out last year, it was like love at first sight. I was like, this thing is amazing. I think when you feel like that about a golf club, it’s very hard to change into something else.
“It ebbs and flows. Some years it’s easier than others. Look, they’re all businesses and they’re all trying to make money and innovate and try to be better. So I understand why the cycle is the way it is.”
McIlroy will partner Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler in the first two rounds at Sawgrass, Scheffler having become the first player in the tournament’s 50-year history to win back-to-back titles last year.
Scheffler carded an eagle and six birdies in a flawless closing 64 to overturn a five-shot deficit and finish 20 under par, a shot ahead of Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman.
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The world number one, who battled a neck injury 12 months ago, said: “I would say last year this whole tournament was one of the best performances I’ve had in my career, for sure.
“I think the way I played injured Friday and Saturday to just keep myself in the tournament took a lot of fight, a lot of heart.
“Definitely did not play golf the way I normally would, but I was so comfortable with my swing at the time that I was able to chip it around and play weird shots and somehow make pars and make some key birdies when I needed to.
“I fought really hard all week to have a chance and was fortunate at the end of the week to get it done.”