Rory McIlroy and Brad Faxon at the 2024 Cognizant Classic. | Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images
Rory McIlroy struggled during the opening round at Bay Hill, but he has since turned things around thanks to Brad Faxon.
After opening the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a disappointing 1-over 73, Rory McIlroy went straight to the practice green to work on his putting.
He had a horrible day on the greens Thursday, ranking 66th of 69 players in strokes gained putting.
The Northern Irishman grew visibly upset on the back side, making only 17 feet of putts total over his final nine holes.
He recorded 32 putts all day—a high number for any PGA Tour pro.
Hence, Brad Faxon, McIlroy’s putting coach, met McIlroy on the putting green afterward. Faxon, an 8-time PGA Tour winner, is also regarded as one of the greatest putters in history.
“I felt my speed was just a bit off more than anything,” McIlroy said.
Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
“The greens look faster than they are, so I’m just trying to be a little more assertive with my speeds. Then we worked on a couple of little things.”
McIlroy, who has used a mallet-head putter for quite some time, reverted to a blade putter on the green. He explained how he wanted to get a better feel for the greens, and a blade would help him regain that sense.
He also described the mental checklist he uses on the greens, which he and Faxon revisited late Thursday evening.
“It’s all sort of right-sided stuff,” McIlroy said.
“Feel like my right shoulder sort of goes down in transition, sort of from back to through. Like, when it gets to the top of the backstroke, my right shoulder feels like it goes down, which then keeps the putter low through impact. So, just a couple of little things.”
Those little things McIlroy and Faxon worked on Thursday paid massive dividends on Friday.
McIlroy completely turned it around, gaining 3.625 strokes on the greens on Friday. That ranked first among the field, as the Northern Irishman carded a 2-under 70 to jump up to 1-under for the championship.
His second round was not without trouble, however. A duck-hook into the lake at the par-5 6th led to a bogey. He also made sloppy bogeys at the 10th and 11th holes.
Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images
Rory McIlroy putts from off the green at the 4th hole during the second round of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
But McIlroy, who was 2-over when he walked onto the 12th tee, made three birdies over his final seven holes to get back into red figures.
He battled back and now has an outside chance this weekend, given how difficult Bay Hill is playing.
But McIlroy has also continued to blister the golf ball from tee to green, and when he does that, he always has a chance, no matter the deficit he faces.
“I think I’ve led the field in strokes gained off the tee at [Riviera] and at the [Cognizant Classic],” McIlroy said.
“It’s probably not too far away again this week. So, ball striking-wise, I feel really good. Yeah, thankfully, that’s no issue. It’s just about making a few more putts, and today, I did that.”
Indeed, McIlroy leads the field in strokes gained off the tee yet again. Some of his drives at Bay Hill have been otherworldly, but for him, it all comes down to whether or not he can take advantage of the opportunities he gives himself.
Perhaps he does so this weekend. If he somehow ends up near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon, he has one special person to thank.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
