Different Strokes: Rory McIlroy will learn from mistakes

The collateral damage of contending in tournaments and not getting over the line is that, for better or worse, scar tissue accumulates.

In Rory McIlroy’s case, we’ve been here before. And what we know is that he is a player who learns from mistakes. In his case, scar tissue is often something to make the body - and the mind - stronger rather than weaker.

Of course, the best example of McIlroy’s fortitude came in 2011 when he responded to his so-called meltdown in the Masters to not only win the very next Major, but to actually run away from the field in the US Open. And what happened at Augusta that year was far more dramatic and far more stressful than what unfolded at Doral on Sunday, when a title he had within his tight grasp was allowed to rather tamely slip away.

More often than not, McIlroy closes the deal well whenever he gets into a winning position.

In fact, this was only the third time on the PGA Tour that the Northern Irishman had failed to seal the deal on a 54-hole lead. The worrying part, for him, is that it was the second time in three weeks that he had manoeuvred into a potential winning position only to let it all slip away; although this latest episode was more extreme than the Northern Trust Open, when he edged into the lead with 16 holes to play only to fall away.

This time, in Doral, McIlroy started the final round with a three stroke advantage. He increased it to four early on in his round. And, then, it all went south. If there was any positive to be gleaned from his tied-third finishing position, it was that he leapfrogged Jason Day to move up second in the latest official world rankings.

But back to why players compete: it is all about winning. So, why isn’t he lifting some more silverware?

The finger has been pointed at his putting, which he was addressed by switching to a reverse right hand-over-left grip; but, perhaps, certainly on the evidence of his final round at Doral, the real culprit is his approach play.

A look at the statistics on the PGA Tour this season shows he is ranked 127th and 196th respectively on proximity to the flag on approach play from 75-100 yards and 100-125 yards. When he won the last two of his four Majors back in 2014, McIlroy was ranked 58th and 26th in those particular categories.

McIlroy has two more tournament outings before he tees up in his on-going quest for a green jacket at the Masters next month. Two more chances to get some winning momentum. And, as he’s shown in the past, scar tissue inflicted from near misses is inclined to make him stronger. The “frustration” he talked of post-tournament was understandable. He will play next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and defend the WGC-Dell Matchplay the following week. If he hasn’t rectified problems by then, the odds are he will have done by the time he gets to Augusta. He still has time on his side.

Tour clash

The clash of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the French Open on this year’s schedule - which has led the European Tour not to award any Ryder Cup points for those players who opt for Akron over Paris - has been described as “unfortunate” by PGA chief Tim Finchem.

With golf's return to the Olympics in Rio, scheduling became difficult for the main tours but the PGA Tour effectively went on a solo run in determining the Bridgestone would go head-to-head with the French Open, where the Ryder Cup will be staged in 2018. It means defending champion Shane Lowry (and any other European players who play) won't be able to add to their Ryder Cup haul that week.

“There doesn’t seem to be a resolution to it available . . . . I think what we are focused on is making sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Finchem, which would seem to indicate that the European Tour’s dissatisfaction has hit home, if just a little bit.

Word of Mouth

"I was so embarrassed to do that playing with Phil Mickelson. I mean, he would be lipping out or holing it and I'm shanking it nearly into the next bunker. It shocked me a bit. I just tried to be too fancy and probably showing off in front of Phil a little bit" - Adam Scott on that shanked bunker shot which, fortunately for him, didn't impact on the scorecard.

By the numbers

64/66: The top 64 players on the world rankings following the Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour will qualify for next week’s WGC-Dell Matchplay Championship. With Henrik Stenson and Jim Furyk (injured) both missing the event, it means the magic number will be 66th in the rankings which means Thomas Pieters is the player sitting on the bubble heading into this week’s tournaments.

Twitter Talk

“Thanks for everyone’s support this week..Great fun @CadillacChamp great playing by Scotty..Great champion..Now onto @ValsparChamp” - in-form Danny Willett, who rose from 15th to 11th in the world after his tied-third finish in Doral.

“Sorry I accused Shane Lowry of being from Mullingar, he’s actually from Clara. Which is Offaly nice” - David Feherty gets around to issuing his mea culpa for daring to suggest Lowry hailed from Westmeath (in a recent TV broadcast).

“Didn’t see that one coming....” - Rory McIlroy - and probably the rest of the UFC fan club - on Conor McGregor’s shock defeat.

Know the Rules

Q: In a match, A played a wrong ball to a green and then found his own ball in the hole. His own ball had been holed in three strokes, which was fewer strokes than B had taken. However, B claimed the hole on the grounds that A had played a wrong ball. A did not dispute the claim. A lost the match.

Later, A learned that, because he had completed the hole when his own ball was holed and before play of a wrong ball, the play of the wrong ball was irrelevant and he was the rightful winner of the hole in question. A then lodged a claim with the committee. Was the claim valid?

A: No. Since A did not dispute B’s invalid claim before B played from the next teeing ground, B’s claim stands and B won the hole in question (Rule 2-5).