Open Golf: Rory puts new driver into play

The new driver

I’ve got a new driver in the bag, which is slightly different than the one I have been using, it’s a different head shape. More of a pear shape, but it encourages the club face to close over a little bit more. My bad drive this year has been losing it to the right. So this is encouraging the club face to square up on impact and obviously I’m not getting that right shot anymore, which is a huge plus. 

And I’ll hit anywhere between five and seven drivers this week, depending on the wind – two on the front nine and three or four on the back nine. If you get the 12th downwind in the east wind, some guys might go for the green there.



The practice rounds

Actually I shot my best score in the most difficult conditions. It was very windy on Monday morning. And I shot a couple under right there in those conditions. And everything else has sort of been around level par or over. It’s tough. You hit it in the rough here and you’ve just got to try to get it back into play. 

And it’s wispy, but at the same time, you’ve got a lie, and you think you can get a 7- or 8-iron on it. And the longer stuff just wraps around the hosel and the ball goes straight left.

On Nick Faldo’s comments (NF said he should work on his game from 9-5)

I saw what he said, and he said I should be at the course nine to five. I actually was on the range at 6:15, and got out of the gym at 6:15, actually a 12-hour day compared to his eight-hour day. It is what it is, and Nick should know how hard this game is at times. And he’s been in our position before. And he should know how much work that we all do put into it.

He probably said a million other things in that interview and he obviously said something about me, and that’s the thing that’s been picked up by everyone else. I know how these things go. 

Nick should know how hard this game is at times
The wind conditions

We’re going to have a few different winds this week, so tomorrow it’s going to be out of the west, like it has been the last few days. And Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it’s going to be completely different, out of the east. We’ll play the golf course in two different winds, which will be great, as well.



The year so far

The game’s been a bit of a contrast, because there’s been times where it felt not too hard and I went on a great run from this point last year until the end of the season. And then, yeah, it’s like life. You’re going to go through highs and you’re going to go through lows. 

It’s just about trying to work your way out of the lows. Yeah, I haven’t played my best golf this year, but I’ve showed signs that it is there. It’s just a matter of trying to do that more often.

I know that I’m working on the right things and I know that I’m doing the right things and I’m staying patient. And I know sooner or later it will turn around and I’ll play the golf that everyone knows that I’m capable of and the golf it that I know that’s capable of winning Majors.

Scheduling

We’ve got a very busy stretch coming up now, I think I’m playing six out of the next eight weeks, or seven out of the next 10, I guess. So we’ve got a big stretch coming up, so I think I’ll get a lot of golf. And then I think I’m taking three weeks off after The TOUR Championship. And then I’ve got four tournaments left from then until the end of the season. I feel like I’ll get a lot of golf from now until the end of November. I was looking at the schedules for next year last night. 
The only thing I feel like I could have done better this year was play a couple more tournaments at the start of the year. And I’ve said that openly. And I’ve said that before.

The new clubs

I would rather have it done in a three- or six-month period rather than having it drawn out over two or three years. I’d rather get it done straight away and then at least after that three- or six-month transition period you’re fully comfortable with — I don’t mind maybe not playing your best golf for six months. It isn’t a huge sacrifice in a 30-year career.