McIlroy admits DeChambeau speed chase has hurt him; Lowry hangs in
Webb Simpson and Rory McIlroy react after finishing on the 18th green during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
RORY MCILROY confessed that chasing Bryson Dechambeau levels of big-hitting swing speed led to the problems that saw him miss cut in The Players at TPC Sawgrass.
As Shane Lowry shot 74 to trail Lee Westwood by seven shots on two-under and Graeme McDowell missed the cut on three-over after a 74, McIlroy admitted that DeChambeau’s power show in the US Open at Winged Foot got into his head.
The need for speed dominated his thoughts late last year and as a result, his swing is now out of kilter with just three weeks to go to the Masters.
“It all stems from, probably like October last year, doing a little bit of speed training, started getting sucked into that stuff, swing got flat, long, and too rotational,” he said after carding a 75 that left him 19 shots behind Westwood on 10-over.
“Obviously I added some speed and am hitting the ball longer, but what that did to my swing as a whole probably wasn't a good thing, so I'm sort of fighting to get back out of that. That's what I'm frustrated with.
“After Winged Foot I had a few weeks before we went to the West Coast and I started to try to hit the ball a bit harder, hit a lot of drivers, get a bit more speed, and I felt like that was sort of the infancy of where these swing problems have come from. So it's just a matter of trying to get back out of it.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t anything to do with what Bryson did at the US Open”
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn't anything to do with what Bryson did at the U.S. Open. I think a lot of people saw that and were like, whoa, if this is the way they're going to set golf courses up in the future, it helps. It really helps.
“And I thought being able to get some more speed is a good thing, and to the detriment a little bit of my swing, I got there, but I just need to maybe rein it back in a little bit.”
While he is now longer than ever, McIlroy was seeking the speed required to survive heavy rough, as DeChambeau did at Winged Foot.
Bryson DeChambeau of the United States plays a shot from near the 12th hole back to the 14th as fans look on during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2021 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“The one thing that people don't appreciate is how good Bryson is out of the rough,” he added. “Not only because of how upright he is but because his short irons are longer than standard, so he can get a little more speed through the rough than us, than other guys. And I thought being able to get some more speed is a good thing, and I maybe just -- to the detriment a little bit of my swing, I got there, but I just need to maybe rein it back in a little bit.”
McIlroy also admitted that playing four events in a row and seven in the first eight weeks of his season has been a challenge though he refused to make any excuses.
Getting his game in shape for the Masters is now the goal and while he believes he knows how to go about attacking the course and winning the Major he needs to complete the career Grand Slam, he has work to do to get his game in shape.
“It was certainly ambitious, especially going Abu Dhabi to the West Coast,” he said. “But I wanted to play. I played sparingly sort of from September onwards last year, so I wanted to play quite a bit.
I think these next three weeks coming up it'll give me some time to work on some stuff and I can get ready for that place that you have on your face mask (Augusta).”
On his strategy there, he was upbeat after playing well for the final 54 holes in November’s Masters.
“I struggled there on the first day, just sort of started to trust myself a little bit and found something in between that first and second round on Friday, and then, as you said, I played really well from then on in,” he said. “I certainly have like an idea in my head of the way I want to play that golf course, and I felt like I really made some good strides in November.
“But if you're not hitting the shots, then it doesn't make any difference. First and foremost I have to be able to hit the shots and get the ball starting on my line and control the flight and control the spin. At the minute I'm struggling to do that, and if you can't do that going to Augusta, you've got no chance.”
As McIlroy spoke, Westwood was relaxing after firing an impressive, bogey-free 66 that was a clinic in control and course management.
Lee Westwood of England plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2021 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“There's not a shot out there I'm afraid of,” said Westwood, who had a one-stroke lead over Matthew Fitzpatrick (68) on nine-under with Chris Kirk (65) and Sergio Garcia (72) two behind. “There's not a shot out there I'll walk up to and think, I haven't got this one.
“I feel like my technique is good on everything. I can hit a low drive stinger out there when I need to, I can hit a long iron into a green when I need to and flight it high.
“If I get out of position I can nip one off the turf and put some spin on it like I did on 9 to finish up there and spin it by that hole. I'm rolling the ball well on the greens. I'm comfortable out there with everything.”
Lowry didn’t putt as well as he did in his opening 68, but despite two three-putts, it was his play from tee to green that displeased him most and sent him scurrying to the range.
“Hopefully the leaders don’t get too far away and I can shoot a couple of decent numbers on the weekend.”
After three-putting the 14th and 18th and to turn in two-over, he made two birdies with two bogeys on his homeward nine, hitting just three greens in regulation.
“I did miss a few putts but holed a couple as well,” Lowry said of his switch to the right-hand low method. “I didn’t hit the ball well today and didn’t play good at all. I played the par-5s badly in level par. It was pretty gettable out there this morning.
“Look, I’m there for the weekend and hopefully the leaders don’t get too far away this afternoon and I can shoot a couple of decent numbers on the weekend.
“Yesterday was a good day putting my first day doing it and today I just had a little bit uncomfortable out there with my whole game. This golf course is just like that. It’s tricky and it’s hard to be out there and you hit a bad shot it costs you a big number at any place.”
In contrast, Westwood (48) continued the superlative form that saw him push Bryson DeChambeau all the way in Bay Hill by carding the sixth bogey-free round of his career at TPC Sawgrass, the most of any player since 2000 according to statistician Justin Ray.
Denny McCarthy had a hole in one at the third as he shot 69 to finish in a six-way tie for fifth with the likes of the in-form DeChambeau (69), left-hander Brian Harman (71) and Charley Hoffman (68).
McDowell’s chances of making the cut evaporated when he four-putted to double-bogey the seventh, then followed a bogey at the eighth with another double-bogey at the 10th.
McIlroy never threatened to make the cut after another poor putting round featuring two birdie fours, three bogeys and another double-bogey six at the 10th, where he again hooked into the trees.
“I don't want to say it's been a long four weeks, but definitely,” McIlroy said when asked if he was keen to get home “It's funny, I used to think four weeks in a row was nothing, and then I feel like I'm getting old because by the fourth week I'm like, a little achy, a couple things are hurting, so I'm looking forward to getting home. “That's not the reason I didn't play very well this week, but yeah, it's felt like a long four weeks.”
