Rory McIlroy is one of the longest hitters in the professional game and he’ll be looking to wield his power to great effect at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week.
McIlroy has played two PGA Tour events so far this season and he appears to be trending in the right direction heading into the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He followed up a tie for 14th at Pebble Beach with a runner-up finish at Riviera two weeks ago.
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The PGA Tour's best players will be in action at Bay Hill…
McIlroy is full of confidence heading into the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with his game in great shape.
The Northern Irishman just needs to start holing more putts and then the floodgates really could open up for him.
McIlroy is looking for his first win on the PGA Tour since his Masters triumph in 2025, and his swing is looking very good at Bay Hill ahead of the event.
How far Rory McIlroy was hitting his driver ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational
McIlroy’s prodigious power is his key attribute.
Akshay Bhatia described McIlroy’s speed as ‘crazy’ after seeing him close up during the TGL clash on Sunday.
He’s the best driver of the ball in the world and when he’s in full flow out on the golf course, he is quite a sight to behold.
It seems like the five-time major champion gets longer with every season that passes.
When McIlroy was on the driving range at Bay Hill ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week, he was producing some seriously impressive numbers on his TrackMan.
The 29-time PGA Tour winner clocked a 127.4 mph clubhead speed and a 189.8 mph ball speed on one of his drives.
Those numbers equated to a quite frankly ludicrous 332.4-yard carry.
That will work around most courses if he manages to keep the ball in the fairway at least half of the time.
Fastest ball-speed averages on the PGA Tour so far in 2026
Incredibly, there are eight players who have achieved faster average ball-speeds than McIlroy on the PGA Tour this season.
The Northern Irishman is ninth on the list with an average ball-speed of 186.47.
Here are the top nine names in the ball-speed category on the PGA Tour in 2026 so far:
| Name | Average ball-speed |
| Gary Woodland | 188.31 |
| Aldrich Potgieter | 188.21 |
| Nicolai Hojgaard | 187.91 |
| Rasmus Hojgaard | 187.37 |
| Michael Brennan | 187.25 |
| Christo Lamprecht | 186.97 |
| Marco Penge | 186.75 |
| Min Woo Lee | 186.66 |
| Rory McIlroy | 186.47 |
It’s incredible how far the game has come over the past decade or so.
However, we’re now seeing a new breed of athlete on the PGA Tour.
Amazingly, a 180 mph ball-speed seems to be the norm now as players like McIlroy continue to get longer and longer.
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