Tiger Woods’ former coach reveals what he told Rory McIlroy during four-hour golf lesson
Tiger Woods’ former coach reveals what he told Rory McIlroy during four-hour golf lesson
Rory McIlroy has not won a major in nearly 10 years and sought the help of Butch Harmon ahead of his latest bid to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters
Butch Harmon has given Rory McIlroy an extensive golf lesson
Tiger Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon has given Rory McIlroy some sage advice ahead of his latest attempt to complete his career Grand Slam at the Masters. The renowned American golf coach revealed: “I told him: ‘You’re Rory McIlroy for Christ’s sake, one of the best players who’s ever played the game”.
The world No. 2 has been struggling with form, having not won a Major in nearly 10 years and only managing one top-20 finish on the PGA Tour this season before the Texas Valero Open this weekend.
In an attempt to turn things around, the Northern Irish golfer sought out a four-hour lesson with Harmon, Tiger Woods’ former swing guru, in Las Vegas last week.
McIlroy praised Harmon, 80, as being “sort of half golf coach, half psychologist” following their session.
Harmon disclosed that they worked on improving the four-time Major winner’s short-iron play and discussed strategies for his 16th attempt to win the coveted Green Jacket at Augusta.
“We had a really good session and then we talked about Augusta and his mindset going in there,” the Sky Sports analyst shared. “We all know how much he wants it. This is his chance to complete the career Grand Slam. This is the only one missing. He’s had his opportunities before and they’ve slipped away. So I talked to him about how to relax, how to enjoy himself, and how to enjoy the moment.I said just go play golf, shot by shot – you’re Rory McIlroy for Christ’s sake, one of the best players who’s ever played the game. And the course was built for him, if you look at the way he drives the golf ball.It sounds easy, but he wants it so bad he just puts an excess amount of pressure on himself.He has just got to relax and play golf which is very easy to say because he wants it so bad. We want it for him. The fans want it for him. His family wants it for him and that gets in the way of allowing you to be yourself.
“The pressure he puts on himself is immense, but he needs to relax and just play golf. We all want him to succeed – his fans, his family, everyone. But that desire can sometimes hinder his ability 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.”
McIlroy’s performance off the tee this season has been second only to Cameron Champ on the PGA Tour, but he ranks 119th for strokes gained on approaches to the green.
“At Bay Hill he made 26 birdies and finished like 20th,” Harmon continued. “For his bogeys, he was missing greens with 9-irons and wedges so we worked hard on that.
“Rory has a swing built for driving – it’s probably the best swing in the game today – which is why he drives it so well. He swings it at 120-125mph with a big long follow through. I was trying to get him to make more of a three-quarter swing to try to take the ball out of the air a little bit and control the distance better. The rest of his game is in good stead. He was very happy, took it away and said he played really well when he was at Augusta.”
McIlroy, who recently completed two practice rounds at Augusta, is set to return on Tuesday afternoon. His relationship with Harmon dates back to when he was just 14 years old.
