Tee-to-Green

Natural Born Winner

WITH RORY McILROY & JEREMY BENNETT

In the two full seasons Rory McIlroy has been a tournament professional he has elevated himself to an astonishing 10th place in the official world rankings. He is possibly the most exciting young golfer on the planet, and in 2009 enjoyed a terrific rivalry with ISM stable-mate Lee Westwood as the two players sparred for the European Order of Merit – at least right up until Lee produced one of the performances of the season to clinch the title in Dubai.

Over the following pages Rory shares his thoughts on a swing clearly destined for greatness, while Jeremy Bennett highlights the particular aspects that can help you.

I first saw Rory play in the Faldo Series Finals when he was 12 or 13 years old. He was smaller than average in stature for his age, not particularly long off the tee and played with a steady little draw. However there were several features that set Rory apart and marked him as something special.

For a start, his short game was red hot – not just every now and then but most days he would conjure up shots of pure genius around the greens. It was obvious how much he just loved playing golf; it was totally a game to him – as it still is now he is playing for a living. He also had an unflappable temperament, an attacking style that was fearless but also possessed a natural instinct to see and play the correct shot.

Rory was part of ‘Team Faldo’ for four years, a truly elite squad of youngsters that included Oliver Fisher, Zane Scotland, Melissa Reid and Carly Booth. In our training sessions he would invariably be the one to get it higher than the others from a down slope in the bunker, or produce more backspin; he would also be the one to chip in or somehow hole a long putt when the odds said he shouldn’t.

Still pictures cannot possibly portray the natural fluidity, freedom and rhythm that Rory has in spades, and I have no doubt that his ever-improving swing will take him to the very top of the game. It will be fascinating to see how he measures up against Tiger, Phil & Co  on the PGA Tour next season.

So sit back and enjoy the natural, fluid swing of perhaps the game’s most exciting young talents. Pay particular attention to his wonderfully sequenced hand, arm and body action – a framework that allows that wonderful hand action to work freely through the ball. So let’s take a closer look and also find out what Rory himself thinks about technique-wise. Jeremy Bennett 

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