Rory McIlroy Adds Pete Cowen As New Coach

The four-time Major winner has added Pete Cowen to his team according to the Telegraph

Rory McIlroy Adds Pete Cowen As New Coach

Rory McIlroy has officially employed Pete Cowen as his new swing coach, it has been revealed by the Telegraph.

The Northern Irishman has been coached by Michael Bannon since the age of 8, but he is clearly looking for something slightly different with the appointment of Cowen.

Cowen has worked with the likes of Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood.

His most recent Major success came with Gary Woodland at the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach.

It is unlikely that Cowen will be fully replacing Michael Bannon, but it does seem that McIlroy has officially added him to the payroll.

Bannon, living in Northern Ireland, may well take a backseat role with McIlroy living and playing mostly out in the US.

Cowen was reportedly taking a look at Rory's swing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, and it seems that the relationship has now progressed.

Related: Pete Cowen Exclusive: The king of swing

The pair have known each other since before McIlroy turned pro and appear to have a close relationship already.

Cowen will join Michael Bannon and Brad Faxon in Rory McIlroy's performance team as he seeks to win more Majors and take his career to the next level.

Related: McIlroy confident his best golf is ahead of him

McIlroy missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass by 10 strokes and is currently without a victory on tour since November 2019.

He has seen his world ranking drop from 1st to 11th over the past year or so.

The four-time Major winner has not tasted Major glory since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

He will once again head to Augusta next month seeking to become the sixth man in history to win the modern career Major grand slam.

McIlroy tees it up in this week's WGC-Match Play Championship, where he faces Ian Poulter on day one.