634. That’s the number of putts that Rory McIlRoy has faced from within three feet in the 2023 season. And while the Irishman has sunk 632 of those – an average of 99.68% – he missed two in a row last Sunday. McIlroy made a three-putt from within two feet on the Par 3, 14th hole during the final round of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational. From being poised to take the solo lead, McIlroy – on a three-birdie run at the time – ended up with a quadruple bogey that dropped him one stroke behind playing partner Tommy Fleetwood.
Given the unusual nature of the situation (do pros practise missing short putts?) it wouldn’t have been surprising had McIlroy lost his composure. But elite golfers like McIlroy are made of different stuff; the Ulsterman made two tremendous birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to wrest back a one-stroke lead from Fleetwood. “Rory played amazing on the back nine. He played so aggressively. He made so many birdies. Especially after 16, starting on the 17th tee, it was frustrating to then all of a sudden be one behind when you’re led all day,” Fleetwood said later.
Yet another mistake by McIlroy – a duck hook off the tee on the 18th – led to a closing bogey. “I tried to hit a tee shot on the last; I probably wanted to hit a different shot because that was what was most comfortable,” McIlroy rued. “I tried to go with the shot that I feel like I should hit…just a bad swing at the end there.” Fleetwood birdied the final hole to pip McIlroy by a stroke and register his 10th career win.
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Turning around Indian ports There’s no rational explanation: neither for the three-putt, nor McIlroy’s decision to hit a shot that wasn’t comfortable with hitting. It’s what we–hapless amateurs–struggle with most of the time: call it brain fog, lack of focus, or just a hit-and-hope-for-the-best attitude. It’s really hard to stay focused on every single shot for 18 holes. And not just that, the mind is devious: it can con you into believing you’re not swinging well, when in fact you are, or impart false confidence. It really is, at least in golf, all in the head. And sometimes things are going to unravel. And all one can do, really, is take it on the chin and move on.
McIlroy has spoken about using Stoicism to help his mental game. It’s easy to see why. Stoicism is a philosophy that counsels fortitude and acceptance, when things go south. And in golf you really do have to ‘play it as it lies.’ Sometimes you get a break, and sometimes your ball will end up in a divot. That might explain why McIlroy was seemingly quite unperturbed after what he labelled ‘sloppy play,’ at the Dubai Invitational, considering he virtually gift-wrapped the tournament and presented it to Fleetwood.
Talking about McIlroy, I was reminded of his caustic remark to fellow pro Grayson Murray last year. At the PGA Tour’s player meeting Murray had complained about the direction the Tour was taking… McIlroy had reportedly told him to “play better.” Murray clearly took those words to heart: he has moved within the Top 50 of the world after winning the Sony Open and confirmed his PGA Tour card for the season.
Murray’s victory came in dramatic fashion on the first playoff hole: after hitting an errant drive into the woods that was lucky to thread through the trees and make it back out to the fairway, Murray’s approach left him a 40-footer that he managed to hole while his opponent missed, you guessed it, a ‘gimme.’ The victory is precisely what the doctor ordered for Murray who’s had a long road to recovery from substance addiction and an extended break from golf. Sometimes the golf gods can be kind.
The Dubai Invitational was certainly not short on drama. On the other end of the leaderboard from Fleetwood’s 19-under-par, lay 54-year-old Ken Weyand with a four-day total of 53-over par. In case you’re wondering, that’s a full round of 72 strokes more than the winner! Weyand, who manages basketball player Michael Jordan’s exclusive private club in FLorida., was in the field on a sponsor’s invite. To his credit, the man finished all four rounds, and even made some friends amongst the pros. English pro Eddie Pepperrell, however, wasn’t impressed. After the event ended, Pepperell posted his displeasure on X and questioned the decision to let Weyand tee it up. “Limited man field, and old Ken Weyand gets an invite and then does this. I don’t care if he’s Ken from Barbie, it shouldn’t happen.”
Richard Mansell, the pro paired with Weyand, was much more charitable. “Unfortunately without the sponsors this event doesn’t happen,” he wrote on X. “Whoever puts up the money has the final say. I played with Ken today. Great guy and invited me to MJ’s gaff #winner.”
Mansell is bang on the money, literally. Two big sponsors – Wells Fargo and Farmers’ Insurance – have not renewed their contracts with the PGA Tour this year. A significant loss given that the PGA Tour takes between $13 million – $15 million per year from its event sponsors. Losing sponsors (and leverage) is something the PGA Tour can scarcely afford right now considering its precarious position vis a vis the merger with the LIV Golf.
634. That’s the number of putts that Rory McIlRoy has faced from within three feet in the 2023 season. And while the Irishman has sunk 632 of those – an average of 99.68% – he missed two in a row last Sunday. McIlroy made a three-putt from within two feet on the Par 3, 14th hole during the final round of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational. From being poised to take the solo lead, McIlroy – on a three-birdie run at the time – ended up with a quadruple bogey that dropped him one stroke behind playing partner Tommy Fleetwood.
Given the unusual nature of the situation (do pros practise missing short putts?) it wouldn’t have been surprising had McIlroy lost his composure. But elite golfers like McIlroy are made of different stuff; the Ulsterman made two tremendous birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to wrest back a one-stroke lead from Fleetwood. “Rory played amazing on the back nine. He played so aggressively. He made so many birdies. Especially after 16, starting on the 17th tee, it was frustrating to then all of a sudden be one behind when you’re led all day,” Fleetwood said later.
Yet another mistake by McIlroy – a duck hook off the tee on the 18th – led to a closing bogey. “I tried to hit a tee shot on the last; I probably wanted to hit a different shot because that was what was most comfortable,” McIlroy rued. “I tried to go with the shot that I feel like I should hit…just a bad swing at the end there.” Fleetwood birdied the final hole to pip McIlroy by a stroke and register his 10th career win.
There’s no rational explanation: neither for the three-putt, nor McIlroy’s decision to hit a shot that wasn’t comfortable with hitting. It’s what we–hapless amateurs–struggle with most of the time: call it brain fog, lack of focus, or just a hit-and-hope-for-the-best attitude. It’s really hard to stay focused on every single shot for 18 holes. And not just that, the mind is devious: it can con you into believing you’re not swinging well, when in fact you are, or impart false confidence. It really is, at least in golf, all in the head. And sometimes things are going to unravel. And all one can do, really, is take it on the chin and move on.
McIlroy has spoken about using Stoicism to help his mental game. It’s easy to see why. Stoicism is a philosophy that counsels fortitude and acceptance, when things go south. And in golf you really do have to ‘play it as it lies.’ Sometimes you get a break, and sometimes your ball will end up in a divot. That might explain why McIlroy was seemingly quite unperturbed after what he labelled ‘sloppy play,’ at the Dubai Invitational, considering he virtually gift-wrapped the tournament and presented it to Fleetwood.
Talking about McIlroy, I was reminded of his caustic remark to fellow pro Grayson Murray last year. At the PGA Tour’s player meeting Murray had complained about the direction the Tour was taking… McIlroy had reportedly told him to “play better.” Murray clearly took those words to heart: he has moved within the Top 50 of the world after winning the Sony Open and confirmed his PGA Tour card for the season.
Murray’s victory came in dramatic fashion on the first playoff hole: after hitting an errant drive into the woods that was lucky to thread through the trees and make it back out to the fairway, Murray’s approach left him a 40-footer that he managed to hole while his opponent missed, you guessed it, a ‘gimme.’ The victory is precisely what the doctor ordered for Murray who’s had a long road to recovery from substance addiction and an extended break from golf. Sometimes the golf gods can be kind.
The Dubai Invitational was certainly not short on drama. On the other end of the leaderboard from Fleetwood’s 19-under-par, lay 54-year-old Ken Weyand with a four-day total of 53-over par. In case you’re wondering, that’s a full round of 72 strokes more than the winner! Weyand, who manages basketball player Michael Jordan’s exclusive private club in FLorida., was in the field on a sponsor’s invite. To his credit, the man finished all four rounds, and even made some friends amongst the pros. English pro Eddie Pepperrell, however, wasn’t impressed. After the event ended, Pepperell posted his displeasure on X and questioned the decision to let Weyand tee it up. “Limited man field, and old Ken Weyand gets an invite and then does this. I don’t care if he’s Ken from Barbie, it shouldn’t happen.”
Richard Mansell, the pro paired with Weyand, was much more charitable. “Unfortunately without the sponsors this event doesn’t happen,” he wrote on X. “Whoever puts up the money has the final say. I played with Ken today. Great guy and invited me to MJ’s gaff #winner.”
Mansell is bang on the money, literally. Two big sponsors – Wells Fargo and Farmers’ Insurance – have not renewed their contracts with the PGA Tour this year. A significant loss given that the PGA Tour takes between $13 million – $15 million per year from its event sponsors. Losing sponsors (and leverage) is something the PGA Tour can scarcely afford right now considering its precarious position vis a vis the merger with the LIV Golf.
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