Rory McIlroy apparently has an issue with his technique, which hindered him at The Masters.
McIlroy was excellent at Augusta National and finally completed the career Grand Slam after 11 years.
But the Northern Irishman still had plenty of shaky moments, including two wedge shots into the water.
He also missed several makable putts, such as his eagle attempt on the 15th hole and par putt on the 18th to win the tournament in the final round.
Rory McIlroy has a ‘strange’ problem with his putting technique
Australian professional golfers Mark Allen and Nick O’Hern, who made four Masters appearances, recently analysed McIlroy’s putting technique.
They both pointed out that he makes contact with the ball far too high, and it’s a “strange” problem for a player of his calibre to have.
Allen explained: “You and I both heard Brad Faxon speaking about the things he’s been teaching Rory McIlroy. My ears pricked up, and I know your ears pricked up about the forearms.
“Just the simple stuff… hitting the middle of the ball with the middle of the putter is one of the things he’s been working on. This is Rory McIlroy putting on the 17th at Augusta. Can you see how high he hits the ball with his putter there? It looks like he hits the ball with the bottom edge of his putter.”
“The putter face is hitting almost the top of the ball. It’s kind of strange how much it moves up,” O’Hern responded.
“When your putter head comes up like that, you either have to come up, or your shoulders come up, or your arms come up,” Allen said.
“But you don’t turn yourself into a perfect pendulum. Then I went back and found the putt he missed at the US Open 2024. Now this vision is incredible. Did you see how high that went through?
O’Hern finally added: “That was fascinating. I remember seeing that and going, ‘Wow, he’s almost topped it.”
Where did Rory McIlroy’s putting rank on the PGA Tour?
The strokes gained statistics on the PGA Tour this season suggest putting isn’t McIlroy’s biggest weakness – or a weakness at all.
He ranks 10th on the tour for putting, a long way ahead of Scottie Scheffler (42nd) and Xander Schauffele (164th).
| Off-the-Tee | Tee-to-Green | Approach the Green | Around-the-Green | Putting | |
| Rank | 1st | 2nd | 19th | 32nd | 10th |
The 35-year-old’s worst area, albeit still not bad, is his chipping, as he’s only 32nd on Tour.
It’s no surprise that McIlroy ranks first among all players off the tee and second from tee to green.
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