What Rory McIlroy has done to fix his short game as he makes club change for the 2025 season

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Rory McIlroy carded a routine two-under-par 70 on day one of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.

Looking for back-to-back Desert Classic victories, McIlroy birdied the second and seventh to shoot 33 on the front nine. The Northern Irishman picked up a shot on ten before running into trouble midway through the back nine.

McIlroy dropped shots on twelve and fourteen before picking up one on the par-five finishing hole. McIlroy is a fan of the setup at Emirates Golf Club, and the Northern Irishman stands every chance of making a charge up the leaderboard this weekend.

Rory McIlroy makes short-game fix

McIlroy has been working hard on his game during the off-season, and the Northern Irishman looks primed to be a force tee-to-green in 2025.

Touch around the greens is another of McIlroy’s strengths. However, the 35-year-old has revealed he’s been tinkering with his wedges to improve his short game.

“I think sticking with the one wedge. Part of the short game shots that we’re made to play around the green is usually with a lob-wedge with the way a lot of the courses are set up, and I went back and forth with a few wedges last year, different grinds, different soles, different lofts. Just finding a wedge that I’m really comfortable with is one part of it,” McIlroy said after his opening round at the Dubai Desert Classic.

“So, I’ve been messing around a little bit in the off-season. I actually went with two degrees more loft with the lob wedge, so I went to a 61-degree lob wedge instead of a 59, which definitely makes the short-sided shots a little bit easier, and it was nice to see that a little bit today.”

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Rory McIlroy’s 2024 short-game stats

Despite McIlroy’s concerns about his short game, his 2024 stats were among the best on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy ranked 17th for scrambling with a rate of 64%. What’s more, he was also in the top 30 for sand saves and scrambling from the rough.

Regarding strokes gained, McIlroy saved 0.28 strokes around the greens (28th on the PGA Tour) and ranked 24th for pitching outside 30 yards.

With the 35-year-old fancied to win his fourth major in 2025, making small gains with his already dialled short game could prove decisive. After this week’s DP World Tour event in Dubai, McIlroy will head to Florida for his opening TGL match before playing the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.