Rory McIlroy has been one of the very best drivers in the game throughout his career, with his golf swing one of the most impressive on any tour when he is in full flight.
If Rory McIlroy is driving the ball well, he is incredibly difficult to stop. He has consistently been one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour.
It proved to be a devastating combination when he found a way to manipulate his swing to hit various shots with his wedges earlier in the season. Of course, that run culminated in the Northern Irishman winning The Masters in April.
But it is not only with his wedges and shorter irons where McIlroy has developed an ability to change things up. Many will remember some of the stinger drives which McIlroy was hitting at Pinehurst at last year’s US Open.
What surprises Rory McIlroy when he hits his fairway finder with the driver
They appeared to be absolute bullets sent straight down the middle of the fairway. Obviously, they do not carry as far, but it seems that McIlroy has not had to sacrifice much ball speed.
Speaking to Tiger Woods in a video for TaylorMade, McIlroy explained what he does to hit the fairway finder, and what surprises him about the shot.
“If I want to hit that shot, if I really need to hit a fairway, I’ll tee it down a little lower as well. My attack angle’s always been quite a lot on the up, so if I tee it down, it levels out my attack angle. I’m still [hitting] up, probably around two [degrees]. But whenever I hit the big one, I’m up five or six,” he said.
“We’ve talked about this a lot, but I feel like I’ll stand a little more upright to it. And then again, I feel like I keep my right side higher through impact, and then that brings the launch down.
“I’m always surprised at how high the ball speed is, because I feel like I middle it more. That was 182 ball speed there. I’m always surprised it’s not lower.”
“When you’re on top of it like that, it’s amazing how much faster you’re able to stay,” Woods added.
What Tiger Woods loves about the way Rory McIlroy hits the driver
McIlroy almost succeeded Woods as the blockbuster driver of the golf ball on the PGA Tour. There just seemed to be something different about the way the pair hit the golf ball.
So it says something that Woods is a huge admirer of what McIlroy does in his swing, as he went on to explain.
“One thing I have always admired over the years is I love how strong your face is at address. I love that,” Woods said.
“If I’m strong here, then it encourages me to go left. I’ve always loved that because if I have a strong face at address or I feel strength in the club face through the swing, I have to use my body,” McIlroy replied.
You certainly feel that McIlroy is going to need his driver to be on its best behaviour this week if he is going to stand any chance of winning the US Open.
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