Rory McIlroy told exactly what he’s doing wrong after day two of the DP World Tour Championship

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Rory McIlroy is one shot back of the lead after the second round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

McIlroy made four birdies on the front nine, picking up shots on one, three, four and seven. The Northern Irishman, however, ran into trouble between holes eight and ten.

The four-time major winner dropped two shots in three holes in what was a damaging run around the turn.

And Andrew Coltart, speaking on Sky Sports coverage of the DP World Tour Championship, believes lapses in concentration are costing the four-time major winner.

Andrew Coltart tells Rory McIlroy what he’s doing wrong

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McIlroy’s new-looked swing, for the most part, appears to be paying off. Instead, errors seem to be letting the 35-year-old down.

Coltart believes McIlroy must improve his concentration if he’s to compete with the world’s “best” players.

“I think some of the mistakes we have seen Rory make more recently, from my point of view, haven’t been technical; they have been from the mind. They have been a loss of concentration or playing the wrong shot at the wrong time,” Coltart explained.

“When you look at some of the best players he is in the mix of the top of the rankings with, everyone makes mistakes, but those guys are not making them as often as Rory at the moment, and that’s the one thing which is holding them back.”

Coltart’s comments come after Paul McGinley criticised McIlroy’s concentration before Thursday’s first tee in Dubai.

Rory McIlroy must reduce errors in 2025

Clearly, McIlroy must remove errors from his scorecard if he’s to match the consistency levels set by Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele on the PGA Tour.

During last weekend’s HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy tripled the 17th before also making a double-bogey on the par-five 18th during the third round.

If the Northern Irishman had made par on both holes, he would’ve walked away victorious.

Improved concentration will also help McIlroy in the most pressurised moments. His missed putts during the US Open at Pinehurst are excellent examples of lapses of concentration when he needed it most.

Hopefully, McIlroy’s swing alterations will put him in a better position in 2025, when more high-octane moments will undoubtedly present themselves.