World No. 1 Rory McIlroy has disagreed with the views of six-time Major winning Nick Faldo ahead of this week’s WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.
Faldo was outspoken ahead of McIlroy officially signing with Nike and now Faldo has again singled out the 23-year old for criticism as McIlroy returns to competition for a first time since missing the cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
World No.1 Rory McIlroy slams Nick Faldo ahead of this week’s WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
“Rory went from rookie of the year to World No. 1 with the same equipment and now he’s changed absolutely everything which I know, from personal grief, is dangerous,” said Faldo in an interview with Mark Lamport-Stokes of Reuters.
“Once I heard the news, I tweeted it was a dangerous move. It’s risky because it’s all about the feel and sound of the golf ball, it’s the feel and sound of the putter face, it’s the feel and sound and the torque of a driver.”
However McIlroy, who has arrived in Arizona with a new putter, a new shaft in his driver and new hope after his UAE embarrassment, is clearly at odds with Faldo.
“Nick Faldo doesn’t know how I feel over the golf shot and I don’t know how he felt,” said McIlroy.
“Buy my guess is he was a little more analytically minded than I am. I try and keep things as simple as possible. If I see the ball going in the direction that I want, in the flight that I want, then I’m happy. It feels good, and hopefully, I can show that to everyone this week.
“I’m actually much happier with how I’m swinging the club.
“The clubs were performing fine in Abu Dhabi, it was just the fact that I wasn’t swinging at my best. I feel like I’ve turned a corner with my swing. I’ve got it back on track, and that’s ultimately what’s going to help me play better.”
McIlroy will face good friend and management stable mate Shane Lowry in one of 32 matches tomorrow (Wed) in the $8.75m event.
And after the huge embarrassment in missing the cut in last month’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship you can be assured McIlroy will not want to again leave McIlroy crimson-faced as he had done in the UAE capital with defeat to the World No. 66 ranked Lowry.
“I knew it (criticism) would happen if I didn’t play well, and I probably put a little bit too much pressure on myself to play well because of that,” said McIlroy.
“Abu Dhabi was a busy week. There was a lot going on.
“But I’ve had a nice few weeks off and I feel like I’m coming into this event prepared, ready and swinging the club well. Hopefully that can translate into playing some good golf and getting quite far into this week.
“I’ve done a lot of good work with Michael (Bannon) over the past 10 days, and I feel like I’ve turned a corner with my swing. I’ve got it back on track, and that’s ultimately what’s going to help me play better.”
McIlroy and Lowry along with Graeme McDowell and Ross Fisher are the only golfers under the Horizon Sport Management umbrella, and while Lowry is looking to get the better of his double Major winning good friend McIlroy reminded everyone just how far the two have progressed in such a short few years.
“Shane and myself played foursomes together for Ireland, and we were part of the same Irish amateur team for a few years,” said McIlroy.
“If we’d have thought playing in the European team Championships at Western Gailes that we’d be playing in the first round of the Match Play here in a few years’ time … it’s pretty cool to think where we’ve come from.”
