Rory McIlroy imparted plenty of wisdom ahead of the BMW PGA Championship this week at Wentworth.
McIlroy met actor Tom Holland on the range, before taking part in the Celebrity Pro-Am with former athletes Gareth Bale and Stuart Broad.
The Northern Ireland star was in fine form at Wentworth despite his recent Irish Open heartache, with McIlroy also bumping into Andy Murray.
He headed into the BMW PGA Championship on the back of a second place finish at the most recent DP World Tour event at his home course of Royal County Down.
McIlroy will now be fully focused on another strong performance, having been one of the main men at the Celebrity Pro-Am.
What Rory McIlroy told Gareth Bale at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am
One of those on the receiving end of his wise words was former Real Madrid and Wales superstar Bale, with the DP World Tour cameras catching a few of their interactions on the course.
“When I work on my swing, and if I’ve got swing thoughts going into a tournament, I’ll start losing awareness of the target,” McIlroy told Bale on the tee, with Broad watching on.
“Like you make this the important part, where the important part is actually… it’s hard to separate. It’s hard to leave it on the range and just go and play.”
McIlroy continued his advice to Bale down the fairway, saying: “My peak velocity in my golf swing is like two feet before impact.”
READ MORE: Who is Rory McIlroy? A closer look at one of the greatest golfers of all time
Bale replied: “Yeah okay, makes sense,” with McIlroy continuing: “So then I would lose speed coming in at the ball because I wasn’t strong enough to hold it. So I did a lot of work on that.”
Bale noted: “Sounds similar to mine a little bit, because I always lose my balance, I don’t know if I can hold it enough. Obviously I haven’t been in the gym at all during football, because you’re just training so much, but now to try and hold it…”
Can Rory McIlroy win the BMW PGA Championship?
McIlroy certainly seemed relaxed at Wentworth, which is what he needs to be in order to come out on top in the BMW PGA Championship.
But that won’t be an easy task, given both the star-studded field taking part and indeed his Irish Open nightmare.
The final round collapse was reminiscent of his US Open horror at Pinehurst earlier this year, with Bryson DeChambeau ensuring McIlroy’s major drought continues.
That said, McIlroy is clearly back playing very good golf, with just a few minor tweaks seemingly needed to finally get that elusive fifth major over the line.
For now, however, shining on the DP World Tour will be his main priority, with the Northern Irishman currently top of the Race to Dubai rankings.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
