Rory McIlroy At "Start Of A Journey" With Pete Cowen
Can the Northern Irishman rediscover his best form under the guidance of Pete Cowen?
Can the Northern Irishman rediscover his best form under the guidance of Pete Cowen?
Rory McIlroy At "Start Of A Journey" With Pete Cowen
For perhaps the first time since he clinched the third leg of the career grand slam, the attention on Rory McIlroy isn't as focused on his obvious quest to win the Masters and add the green jacket to his major collection.
Instead, after being suckered in by Bryson DeChambeau's aggressive pursuit of swing speed and distance, the Northern Irishman officially started working with Pete Cowen just two weeks prior to the first major of the year, in a bid to address some swing flaws he had developed.
And McIlroy, who fell out of the world's top-10 for the first time in three years after the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational, has detailed some of the things Cowen has already helped him with and admitted it's refreshing to get a fresh set of eyes involved.
He said: "He's just giving me a better understanding of what I do and what I do well, and when it maybe isn't going so well, what are the things that I can do to sort of fix myself in way. I think that's the thing.
"So, you know, it's the start of a journey with Pete and it's not as if we haven't worked before. I’ve known Pete for nearly 20 years so it's nothing new, really, but I just think a second set of eyes and someone with Pete's knowledge and wisdom can only be a good thing."
Everyone who watches golf knows that when McIlroy is firing on all cylinders he's virtually unbeatable, but in recent times, the lack of an apparent B-game seems to have held him back in the big events.
Related: Masters 2021 Betting Tips
While the best players in the world make shooting 65s and 66s look easy, often it's the grinding out of a level-par round that could easily have been four or five shots worse that is the difference between winning and losing.
'Developing feels' is something we've heard Jack Nicklaus and Jordan Spieth talk about when it comes to finding a fix on the course, and with Cowen on board, that's what McIlroy is hoping to add to his own game.
"Yeah, you sort of get to learn your own feels and your own movements and make sure that you're doing them the way you want to do them.
Related: How To Watch The Masters
"And if you maybe don't hit such a great shot, you just go back to those feels that you think you need to have."
McIlroy's long-time coach Michael Bannon remains on the team but it'll be interesting to see if the addition of Cowen has an immediate impact on the Northern Irishman's game.
The four-time major winner will tee it up for rounds one and two of the 2021 Masters alongside Xander Schauffele and new father Jon Rahm, with the trio heading out at 3:42pm BST on Thursday.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he went on to enjoy a spell freelancing for Stats Perform producing football reports, and then for RacingNews365 covering Formula 1. However, he couldn't turn down the opportunity to get back into the sport he grew up watching and playing and now covers a mixture of equipment, instruction and news for Golf Monthly's website and print title.
Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.
As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.
What's in Andy's bag?
Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)
Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro '19 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
-
Rickie Fowler Shouts At Fan After Being Distracted Mid-Swing At Players Championship
The American was involved in a tense moment with a fan after being distracted on the 16th at TPC Sawgrass
By Mike Hall Published
-
The Players Championship Leaderboard And Live Updates: Wyndham Clark Birdies First In Fast Start To Third Round
The US Open champion starts Moving Day four shots clear of Nick Taylor and Xander Schauffele, as he goes in search of a second title in two months
By James Nursey Last updated
-
Who Is Justin Thomas’ Wife?
The American star married Jillian Wisniewski in November 2022
By Matt Cradock Last updated
-
Rory McIlroy Gym Routine... Revealed!
In this Rory McIlroy Gym Routine article we discover how the Northern Irishman keeps himself so fit
By Neil Tappin Published
-
What Is Tiger Woods' Net Worth?
Tiger Woods became the first billion dollar athlete in 2009
By Elliott Heath Last updated
-
The Masters Live Stream: How To Watch The Major
Here are all the details on how you can watch the Major wherever you are in the world.
By Sam Tremlett Published
-
Five Outsiders Who Could Win The Masters
We consider five players who might surprise the favourites and claim victory at Augusta
By Fergus Bisset Published
-
Who Is Tiger Woods’ Girlfriend?
Find out more on who the American professional golfer is going out with here.
By Matt Cradock Last updated
-
Bermuda Championship Golf Betting Tips 2021
Who is the GM Tipster backing to win this week in Bermuda?
By Jeremy Chapman Published
-
Jeff Winther Claims Maiden European Tour Title
Jeff Winther Claims Maiden European Tour Title
By Matt Cradock Published