Is Rory the most frustrating golfer to watch?

Each day from Bellerive, four of the NCG team get together to ask each other the pressing questions on the fourth major. In this edition of Fourball, Dan Murphy, Steve Carroll, James Savage and Alex Perry take to the tee to discuss why Rory McIlroy is the cause of so much frustration at the PGA Championship and much more…

Dan: Dominik Holyer. The man Steve Coogan allegedly based Alan Partridge on. Discuss.

Steve: Of all the crimes committed by Eleven Sports this week, Holyer’s presence is probably one of the less offensive. On the irritating scale, he’s mid-table with Seb Carmichael-Brown the clear title winner. I’ve found the constant switching of voices between TNT, CBS, the PGA and the Eleven Sports studio a bit jarring but Hoyler seems to me to be a solid enough presence.   

James: Holyer was a decent foil for Jamie Donaldson actually. I’ve not had too many issues with the coverage. I’ve quite enjoyed watching Seb because I feel like he’s on the brink of saying something ridiculous. I’d love to see how he’d handle an annoyed Henrik Stenson…

Alex: If that Coogan-Holyer anecdote is true then I need to see the footage of Holyer that inspired it. I think Holyer has done a decent job this week, though find it a bit bizarre that we haven’t seen him. More golf, less Seb walking through the merchandise tent please.

Steve: At we gather round, the par-3 3rd is playing nearly half a shot under par today. Can you think of an easier short hole in major history?

James: With greens as receptive as this it does seem very friendly. But I’d say a driveable par 4 is often easier than any par 3. Maybe the 5th at Birkdale? 3rd at Augusta?

Alex: I really can’t, Steve. I really can’t. Maybe the 16th at Augusta? But Dan is going to say that…

Dan: The 16th at Augusta springs to mind whenever they put the pin in the big sink hole that is the back left. And the 8th on the Old Course can only really be protected by the wind and the lone bunker in front of that huge, flat green. But no, par 3s in majors are normally to be survived rather than cashed in on.

So what are the team’s views on Rory McIlroy being the most frustrating golfer to watch? And where is the European challenge coming from? Fourball continues on the next page…

James: Has there ever been a more frustrating golfer than Rory McIlroy? Every time he only makes a par it feels like such a waste with the way he strikes his driver and irons.

Alex: I feel like he’s playing like I do. If I hit a nice drive to leave myself a short iron in off the short stuff, I’ll invariably smother the ball somewhere nowhere near the green. I wonder if, like me, he stands over that shot thinking “It’s only 120 yards, nice smooth swing, let the club do the work” before tugging it in the trees. I bet he does. We’re very similar.

Dan: I’ve just watched him dump it in a bunker from 100 yards out in the middle of the fairway in perfect conditions. Now, don’t get me wrong, it can happen to anyone. But try as I might, I can’t imagine the likes of Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas or Dustin Johnson doing this kind of thing quite so often while in contention at a major. You can only presume that he is pushing so hard that he is over-complicating the game.

Steve: It’s difficult watching someone with such massive talent continually find ways to underachieve – relatively speaking. You wouldn’t have had many takers back in 2014 if you’d argued it would be approaching four years since McIlroy had last won one of the big four. What concerns me, more than anything, is that everyone knows what his deficiencies are – primarily wedge play – and yet while DJ strove hard to strengthen in this area McIlroy seems almost complacent about it. I read this week that he’s pleased with the consistency he’s showing in his game. But when the records are finally written in his career, no one will remember how many top 10s he’s had. They’ll only remember how many majors are on his mantelpiece.

Alex: There are a few Europeans under par and within four, five, six of the lead. Expecting any of them to make a run at it over the weekend?

Dan: No. This weekend is going to be all about the big beasts of the American jungle. Think DJ, Koepka, Rickie, Jordan and JT. Who knows, Tiger could still be a feature yet. With a side order of Woodland and Kisner. I am seeing this as a US PGA for US golfers.

Steve: Not unless there’s a course record – and perhaps a major scoring record too – for one of them. While I’m not convinced at all that Gary Woodland or Kevin Kisner will be lifting the trophy on Sunday there’s too many of the big guns lining up in behind, on a course that’s absolutely perfect for the American way. The greens are soft, it’s set up for target golf and I think Brooks Koepka will be hard to stop.

James: Nice to see Tommy Pieters find some form at the right time of the year. He seems to fit the bill for doing well around here. But to me this feels more like a regular PGA Tour event than a major so you’d fancy a serial PGA Tour winner to win it on something daft like -20.

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