How Rory McIlroy’s stats with his new swing look compared to his season average after two days of the HSBC Championship

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Rory McIlroy is testing out his reconfigured swing for the first time at his week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

McIlroy began working on his swing after the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he finished out of contention.

The Northern Irishman revealed that he’s been hitting shots in various studios whilst completely ignoring his ball flight.

McIlroy appears to be looking for more width in his backswing, and the early signs are good after he carded back-to-back 67s in Abu Dhabi.

Of course, it’s a small sample size, but the numbers paint a positive picture so far.

Rory McIlroy’s 2024 season average

• READ MORE: Top 100 golf coach has noticed a mistake Rory McIlroy is making with his new swing at the HSBC Championship

First, let’s examine McIlroy’s averages throughout the 2024 season. Unsurprisingly, the Northern Irishman excels at driving distance, amassing nearly 25 yards more than the tour average.

Furthermore, McIlroy is also 4% above average when it comes to greens in regulation. Another impressive statistic is the 35-year-old’s scrambling, which is the best on tour by some distance.

However, McIlroy will be looking to improve his driving accuracy, which is perhaps a big reason why he’s decided to make subtle changes to his swing.

The four-time major winner currently ranks 76th on tour with a driving accuracy of 56%, which is 2% above average.

Rory McIlroy’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship statistics

The initial signs after the first two rounds of the HSBC Championship are positive. McIlroy’s driving accuracy was 78.6% during the first day’s play, 8% better than the field average, which is an improvement on his season average.

Furthermore, his driving distance has increased, although the hot weather and firm fairways will be partially responsible.

McIlroy also hit 9% more greens in regulation; however, he was still 5% below the field average in that metric.

Round two saw McIlroy’s driving accuracy and distance still up from his season average. What’s more, the Northern Irishman hit 83% of his greens in regulation, which could indicate that his swing alterations are paying off.

Of course, it’s important to remember McIlroy has only played two competitive rounds with his new-found swing thoughts. Perhaps visiting these statistics once more midway through 2025 will give a more unambiguous indication of whether the changes are truly paying off.