Rory McIlroy has responded to being asked whether his stunning driving performance at the Wells Fargo Championship stems from his recent work with Butch Harmon.
Rory McIlroy looks to be perfectly placed to go on and secure his fourth victory at Quail Hollow, with the Northern Irishman one shot back of Xander Schauffele heading into the final round.
McIlroy has now shot bogey-free rounds on both Friday and Saturday to move to within one of the lead at a course where he has such happy memories.
Brandel Chamblee noted that McIlroy’s driving in the third round was ‘extraordinary’, with the 34-year-old averaging 341 yards off the tee on Saturday. He also managed to hit 11 of 14 fairways, which is exactly what his supporters will want to see ahead of next week’s PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy reveals turning point after ‘extraordinary’ driving performance
McIlroy, of course, went to see Butch Harmon earlier this year as he searched for the changes in his game which would take him back towards his best again.
But after being asked after his round on Saturday whether we were seeing the rewards from his work with Harmon with his form off the tee right now, McIlroy suggested that the upturn actually came a lot more recently.
“No, I would say that’s a direct result of some of the feelings I got in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, a lot of the stuff Butch and I worked on was more like iron play and wedges,” he said.
“The driving is more just me committing to, most of the time, hitting that little cut that I’ve been hitting off the tee. And then having the freedom every time I hit a good tee shot, the more confidence I get and the more I want to keep hitting it.”
Perfect preparation for PGA Championship
The good news is McIlroy’s wedge play was also extremely impressive. Some of his shots at The Masters, in particular, were really disappointing by his standards. But his scrambling has been much stronger this week.
There is arguably not going to be a better opportunity for McIlroy to win another major, with the PGA Championship returning to Valhalla; the course McIlroy where won the event at back in 2014.
Overtaking Schauffele in the final round is not going to be easy, with the American proving to be one of the most consistent players on tour.
But McIlroy will be aware that edging this battle will prove to be the perfect preparation for Kentucky next week.
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