Driver proves to be Rory McIlroy’s greatest asset

Rory McIlroy has used the biggest weapon in his bag – the Nike VR_S Covert 2.0 Tour – to silence everyone. And, for sure, it was rather appropriate that one of the first men to greet him as he walked off the 18th green at Firestone Country Club on Sunday evening was his long-time, trusted coach Michael Bannon, the man who has cultivated the powerful swing that is recognised as the purest in the game.

Whilst the driver is often the most troublesome club in play for many players, it is – currently – McIlroy’s greatest asset.

McIlroy led the field in driving distance in claiming the Bridgestone Invitational, averaging 317 yards off the tee. And he was tied for first in greens-in-regulation, hitting 57 of 72 for the four rounds.

Unquestionably, it is his comfort with the driver which has laid the foundations for success this season. “The way I approach it is the longer the club, the harder it is to hit. So, if you’re hitting arguably the hardest club in your bag that well, then the other stuff should fall in line or into place. I feel like that’s what has happened.”

He added: “Whenever I drive the ball well, I always put myself in positions where I can attack flags and try and make birdies. But when I’m swinging it well with a driver, that sort of funnels through the rest of my game. If I’m swinging well with a driver, more than likely, I’m swinging well with everything else.”

McIlroy’s repeated masterclass with the driver in hand is in some contrast to his woes of just over 12 months ago, highlighted by a missed cut in the British Open at Muirfield. “It’s part of this game of golf, because it is so fickle. You can have it some days and other days it just doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t take much from shooting a 65 the first day to be off and shooting 75 the second day, as I know very well this year.

“It doesn’t take much for something not to feel quite right with your game. The big thing for me is to let it affect you mentally and that will make it more difficult . . . if it gets to you mentally, you start to lose confidence. You lose confidence in your swing and before you know it, you could be spiralling out of control like I did last summer. It all came to a head at Muirfield but I managed to regroup and get back on track.”

McIlroy’s brilliance with the driver has, of course, banished all those doubts about the switch to embrace Nike clubs at the start of 2013. The combination of length and accuracy off the tee – invariably with the driver in hand – has become a powerful weapon that is manifesting itself in results, which is the most important factor of all.