Rory McIlroy admits his driving is a “concern” forward of subsequent week’s US Open.
His choice to place a brand new mannequin within the bag backfired and he shot an eight-over 78 to overlook the reduce on 9 over within the RBC Canadian Open.
The Masters champion hit simply 4 fairways at TPC Toronto and shot his highest rating since opening with a 78 en path to lacking the weekend in final yr’s Open at Royal Troon.
“Yeah, in fact it considerations me,” McIlroy stated after his first missed reduce because the closing Main of the season final July.
“You do not need to shoot excessive scores just like the one I did in the present day.
“Nonetheless, I felt like I got here right here clearly with a brand new driver considering that that was going to be good and clear up a few of the issues off the tee, however it did not.
“Clearly, going to Oakmont subsequent week, what you must do greater than anything there’s hit fairways. Nonetheless looking for the lacking piece off the tee.
“For me, once I get that a part of the sport clicking, then every little thing falls into place for me. Proper now that is not. Yeah, that is a priority going into subsequent week.”
McIlroy had his most popular driver dominated non-conforming eventually month’s PGA Championship and struggled from the tee there, ending 14 pictures behind winner Scottie Scheffler in joint forty seventh.
He opted for the brand new TaylorMade mannequin this week however once more struggled from the tee en route to complete 149th within the 156-strong subject in lacking the reduce by a whopping 12 pictures.
The Holywood star knew he wanted to shoot within the sixties to make the reduce after opening with a one-over 71.
However his hopes evaporated early when he tugged his second out of bounds taking part in with a wedge from the tough on the 447-yard fifth and ran up a quadruple bogey eight.
Additional bogeys adopted on the eighth and tenth earlier than he blocked his tee shot right into a pond on the 197-yard eleventh and made a double-bogey 5.
He then dropped one other shot on the thirteenth, the place he drove miles left behind a tree, made his first birdie of the day on the fifteenth, however bogeyed the seventeenth earlier than ending with a birdie 4.
“I believe there are nonetheless learnings that it’s important to take from a day like in the present day,” stated McIlroy, who discovered simply 4 fairways, two on every 9.
“Though the final two days did not go the best way I wished them to, there are nonetheless issues that I can take from it, and there are nonetheless issues that I can study.
“I am gonna must do lots of apply and lots of work over the weekend at residence to attempt to no less than have a greater thought of the place my sport is going into subsequent week.”
He has a choice to make about his driver earlier than taking over Oakmont’s punishing tough, as eight of his ten misses in spherical two have been to the proper.
“I did not hit sufficient fairways,” he stated. “I felt like I drove the ball a bit higher yesterday than I did in the present day.
“I believe as soon as I made that massive quantity on the entrance 9, I used to be all the time behind the eight ball just a little. After which, after 9 holes, I might form of resigned myself to the truth that I might be flying residence to Florida tonight.
“It was nearly making an attempt to make a couple of good swings, seeing the place the misses have been, and also you’re making an attempt to form of study as a lot as I might, simply looking forward to subsequent week.”
On the driving force, he added: “So I went again to a 44-inch driver this week to attempt to get one thing that was just a little extra in management and will attempt to get one thing a bit extra in play.
“But when I’ll miss fairways, I might quite have the ball velocity and miss the green than not.
“I stated to Harry taking place the final, that is clearly the second time this yr I’ve tried the brand new model [of driver], and it hasn’t fairly labored out for me.
“So I might say I will be testing fairly a couple of drivers over the weekend.”
It was a greater day for Shane Lowry, who shot a two-under 68 to enter the weekend tied for seventh, simply 4 pictures behind Cameron Champ on eight-under.
Champ shot 66 to steer by two pictures on 12-under from Andrew Putnam, who shot a best-of-the-day 62.
