After a disappointing 1-over 73 in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rory McIlroy headed straight to the practice green to work on his putts.
He had a terrible day on the greens Thursday, ranking 66th out of 69 in strokes gained putts.
The Northern Irishman visibly faltered on the backside, totaling just 17 feet of putts over the final nine holes.
He made 32 putts all day. That’s a high number for a PGA Tour professional.
Therefore, McIlroy’s putting coach, Brad Faxon, subsequently met with McIlroy on the putting green. With his eight wins on the PGA Tour, Faxon is also regarded as one of the greatest putters in history.
“More than anything, I felt like my speed was off a little bit,” McIlroy said.
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“I want to be a little more aggressive with my speed because the greens look faster than they actually are. Then we worked on some little things.”
McIlroy has long used a mallet head putter, but has returned to a blade putter on the greens. He explained that he wanted to know more about his feel for the greens and that the blades would help him get that feeling back.
He also described the mental checklist he uses on the greens, which he and Faxon reviewed late Thursday night.
“It’s all right side stuff,” McIlroy said.
“I feel like my right shoulder is dropping down from behind during the transition. For example, when I reach the top of the backstroke, my right shoulder feels like it’s dropping, which keeps the putter low through impact. So , just a few little things.”
Those small gains McIlroy and Faxon worked on Thursday paid off in a big way Friday.
McIlroy got a 3.625 stroke on the green on Friday, a complete turnaround. The Northern Irishman shot a 2-under 70 to move to 1-under and move towards victory.
But his second round was not without trouble. He hit a duck hook into the water on the par-5 sixth hole and made bogey. He also bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes.
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But McIlroy, who was 2 over when he took the 12th tee, made three birdies in his final seven holes and was back in the red.
Given how difficult it is to play at Bay Hill, he could fight back and get a chance on the outside this weekend.
But McIlroy also continues to blister golf balls from tee to green, and when he does that, no matter how much odds are against him, he always has a chance.
“I think I came out on top in this field in terms of strokes gained off the tee.” [Riviera] and, [Cognizant Classic]” McIlroy said.
“Probably won’t be too far off this week. So in terms of hitting the ball, I’m feeling pretty good. Yeah, thankfully, that’s fine. I just need to make a few putts and I was able to do that today. .”
In fact, McIlroy once again leads in strokes gained off the tee. Some of his drives at Bay Hill were otherworldly, but it all comes down to him taking advantage of the opportunities presented to him.
Perhaps he will do so this weekend. If he somehow manages to find himself near the top of the leaderboard Sunday afternoon, he’ll have one special person to thank.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
