Friday at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy it was sublime. He bogeyed six over his final seven holes to close out a seven-under 65, opened up a six-stroke lead (the largest in tournament history) and many questioned whether the green jacket had already been attached.
As golf fans have proven many times before, however, no bullet is safe around Augusta National. And on Saturday, they got another reminder.
McIlroy, who is seeking to become just the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters, was out of sorts during his third round, shooting a one-over 73 to fall back into a tie for the lead with Cameron Young goes to the final round.
“This golf course has a way – when you don’t quite feel it, you’re tough,” McIlroy said. “I just have to go to the range and try to figure it out a little bit.”
By “it” he, of course, means his swing. Specifically, a pesky left error with his approach shots to the green.
Several times during his third round, McIlroy missed left of the green. And as he went into Amen Corner, those lefty mistakes cost him three missed shots as he bogeyed the 11th and bogeyed the 12th.
Good news for McIlroy fans? The left miss he fought IS fixable – and he seems to know why it’s happening.
“For me it’s just about moving the lower body,” McIlroy said. “If I can get my lower body moving through the swing, then that should fix it. But I’m going to go and hit some balls on the range to neutralize the ball flight a little bit.”
When your lower body slows (or stagnates) around impact, your arms and hands take over and close the clubface. This is a loss that plagues everyone from casual recreational players to green jacket winners, and it’s something that can destroy everyone if you’re not careful.
McIlroy’s left miss makes a lot more sense with the added context of Business shot he was trying to hit in some of the problem shots. On numbers 6 and 12, for example, he noted that he was between clubs and trying to hit a knockdown. When you try this three-quarter knockdown shot, the tendency is for you to stop the curveball in a subconscious effort to keep the ball from going too far. When you do this, however, the arms and hands take over and cause the annoying left loss.
“I had maybe odd numbers or I tried to take a little off and I missed the ones that were left,” McIlroy said. “So something to go and work on tonight and, again, try to figure it out.”
If he can figure out how to fend off this loss, look for McIlroy to return to his form from the first two rounds and seek a second consecutive green jacket. If he can’t, he will slip the jacket to one of his competitors on Sunday night.
