Rory McIlroy searching for ‘formula that works’ ahead of Masters | Golf Today | Golf Channel

Rory McIlroy is making a slight change to his schedule ahead of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National as he searches for a formula that works. #GolfChannel #GolfToday #TheMasters
» Subscribe to Golf Channel: https://www.youtube.com/golfchannel?sub_confirmation=1
» For the latest news around golf: https://www.nbcsports.com/golf

Welcome to Golf Channel’s official YouTube channel. We are the #1 destination for everything golf – 24/7. Find golf instruction tips, sneak peeks to our original series, news and tournament coverage. We are part of the NBC Sports Group.

Discover what else Golf Channel has to offer:
Live Coverage on Peacock: https://peacocktv.smart.link/v82e9dl56
Live Scores: http://bit.ly/GCScores
TV Schedule: https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/schedule
Instructional Tips: https://www.golfpass.com/learn
Golf Course Reviews: http://bit.ly/GCCourseReviews

Rory McIlroy searching for ‘formula that works’ ahead of Masters | Golf Today | Golf Channel
https://www.youtube.com/golfchannel?sub_confirmation=1

HE HAS NOW RACKED UP 24. LET’S TURN OUR FOE CANUCKS WHO IS THERE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE WORK THAT RORY IS DOING ON HIS GAME RIGHT NOW? >> YEAH, GEORGE, IT’S OBVIOUS THAT RORY IS LEAVING NO STONE UNTURNED AS I HAD GETS READY FOR

THIS MATCH. HE CLEARLY UNDERSTANDS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HIM, AND HIS LEGACY. I HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO BUTCH HARMON AND HE CONFIRMED HE WORKED WITH RORY McILROY LAST WEEK ON HIS SWING. HE WAS OUT WEST DOING BUSINESS,

AND CALLED HIM, ASKED IF HE CAN STOP BY. HE SAID THEY WORKED TOGETHER FOR THREE HOURS. BUTCH EXPLAINED IT’S NOTHING TECHNICAL. HE SAID HE IS LOOKING FOR A SECOND SET OF EYES, AND BUTCH WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT, HE HAS DONE IT BEFORE.

AND WORKED WITH MANY PTOP PLAYERS, AND RORY, WORKING WITH HIS SWING COACH MICHAEL BANNON, AND DESCRIBED AND EXPLAINED HE MADE IT EASY, AND HE AND MICHAEL BANNON HAVE VERY GOOD SWING PHILOSOPHIES AND HE IS TELLING THEM THE SAME THING THAT MICHAEL IS.

HE IS DOING IT IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY. >> OF COURSE, MICHAEL BANNON WAS WITH RORY McILROY IN FLORIDA AS HE BEGINS THE MASTERS PREP. I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK, RORY’S RECORD IN THE WEEK BEFORE THE MASTERS WHEN HE SAID. HE DOESN’T DO IT OFTEN.

HE HAS DONE IT SIX TIMES AND WE ARE SEE HERE, A MIXED BAG OF RESULTS. HE DID FINISH SECOND A COUPLE YEARS AGO IN THE MASTERS, AND THERE HASN’T BEEN A MISSED CUT IN THERE AS WELL. BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021, HE TOOK

THE WALK OFF AUGUSTA OFF TO FINISH TOP TEN, FIVE OF THE SEVEN YEARS. HE IS MAKING SOME SQUEAKS IN THE RUN UP TO THE MASTERS. THE NEXT WEEK? >> IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS. AND AS YOU POINTED OUT, HE IS CLEARLY TRYING TO TINKER WITH A

FORMULA TO COME UP WITH THE BEST CASE SCENARIO. HE TEES UP AT THE PRO AM AT TPC ST SAN ANTONIO, AND HE SPENT TIME PREPARING FOR THE MASTERS, AND HE IS GOING TO CHANGE THE WAY HE PREPARES NEXT WEEK. HE DOESN’T PLAN TO GET TO

AUGUSTA NATIONAL UNTIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON. HE WILL NOT PLAY IN THE PAR 3. AGAIN, LOOKING FOR A FORMULA THAT WORKS AND I HAD A CHANCE TO YESTERDAY CATCH UP WITH ADAM SCOTT WHO WILL PLAYING THE 23rd MASTERS NEXT WEEK. AND ADAM SAID, AFTER 22 YEARS HOFR GOF

GOING TO TRY TO FIND THE MAGIC, HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT HE IS GOING THROUGH. >> I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A FORMULA THAT WORKS IN BUT WE SEE ALL THE TIME, STUFF CHANGES AND WHERE I AM TODAY COMPARED TO 11 YEARS AGO GOING IN THE MASTERS IS DIFFERENT.

I THINK I HAVE TO BE AT LEAST OPEN TO CHANGING THAT, AND THIS WEEK, I THINK BEING HERE AND PLAYING IS THE BEST THING I CAN DO FOR MY GAME. GOING IN THE MASTERS. BEING TOURNAMENT READY, HAVING A BIT OF STRUCTURE AROUND ME THIS

WEEK IS A GOOD THING. WHERE EVERYTHING IS AT. AND HOPEFULLY KIND OF SHORTEN UP THE ANTICIPATION GOING INTO THE MASTERS AS WELL. >> RORY WAS ASKED ABOUT IT LAST WEEK AND HE IS TRYING TO CHANGE HOW LONG HE SPENDS AT AUGUSTA. HOW HAVE YOU TRIED TO ISOLATE

YOURSELF FROM AUGUSTA THIS WEEK? >> I THINK RORY AND I HAVE TWO DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AT AUGUSTA. UNTIL HE WINS IT, HE WILL GO WITH A GRAND SLAM EVERY YEAR. I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT. IT’S AN ENJOYING PLACE. BUT IF YOU GO AND PLAY ON

MONDAY, AND YOU’RE IN THE MIX SUNDAY, YOU’RE IN FOR A LONG WEEK OUT THERE. AT THIS POINT IN MY CAREER, I FEEL LIKE A LATE ROUND ON TUESDAY, EARLY ROUND ON WEDNESDAY AND LET’S GET THIS THING STARTED. >> ADAM CLEARLY IS UNDER THE

SAME MIND SET AS RORY McILROY. HE DID NOT TAKE A SCOUTING TRIP, AND AFTER 20 PLUS YEARS, HE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT AND HE WILL HAVE A SIMILAR SCHEDULE TO WHAT RORY HAS NEXT WEEK. HE PLANS TO HAVE A PRACTICE ROUND ON TUESDAY, AND LIMITED PRACTICE WEDNESDAY.

HE LEARNED THAT THE PREMIUMS IS ALWAYS ON REST. GEORGE? >> ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, WE WILL CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU AT THE VALERO TEXAS OPEN. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHERE HE IS LANDING? >> IT SEEMS NOTHING TO ME. IT’S A DIFFERENCE OF A FEW HOURS.

MORE ROY IS HAVING A PRESS CONFERENCE AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL ON TUESDAY. NOT AS THOUGH HE IS ARRIVING ON TUESDAY NIGHT TO TRY TO AVOID THE NOISE AND THE BUILD-UP THERE, AND ADAM HAD A PHRASE, REFERRED TO SHORTENING THE ANTICIPATION, AND IT DOES GET TO

BE A LONG WEEK IF YOU ARE SITTING AROUND AT AUGUSTA. IT’S NOT A REGULAR TOUR EVENT. YOU ARE NOT GOING OUT TO DO CONTENT CREATION FOR THE TOUR OR SPONSORS. THERE ARE NO DISTRACTIONS OTHER THAN THE LOOMING TEE TIME. AND CERTAINLY WITH RORY McILROY, THE EXPECTATIONS, HE WILL NEVER

BE ABLE TO AVOID THOSE UNTIL HE WINS A GREEN JACKET. SO I DON’T THINK THAT THIS IS NECESSARILY A STRATEGY TO AVOID BEING ASKED QUESTIONS. IT’S CLEARLY NOT IF HE’S ON THE PRESS CONFERENCE. IT’S SIMPLY A MATTER OF MINIMIZING THE SLOW BUILD OF PRESSURE.

SITTING AROUND, STARING AT FOUR WALLS FOR THE SAKE OF THREE, FOUR DAYS BEFORE YOU GET TO THAT TEE TIME. THERE ARE GUYS WHO WILL ARRIVE THE WEEKEND BEFORE, AND I’M GUESSING RORY McILROY, IF HE PLAYS WELL, SAN ANTONIO, IT DOESN’T CHANGE.

IF HE PLAYS EARLIER, IF HE MISSES THE CUT THIS WEEK, HE MAY ADJUST. NOT SO HE DOESN’T KNOW THE GOLF COUG AT AUGUSTA AND HE JUST HAD TWO DAYS OF PRACTICE THERE. I DON’T THINK IT’S NECESSARY TO — SOME KIND OF NEW APPROACH TO AUGUSTA NATIONAL.

CERTAINLY TAKING UP THE — THE PAR 3 CONTEST. HE DID PLAY THE LAST YEAR. HE HAD HIS DAUGHTER POP IN THERE LAST WEEK. NOT DOING THAT. AN A LOT OF GUYS WILL FRONT LOAD AND DO THE WORK MONDAY, TUESDAY, TAKE WEDNESDAY EASY SO THEY HAVE ENERGY LEVELS UP AT THE START OF

PLAY ON THURSDAY. I THINK EVERYTHING RORY IS DOING RIGHT NOW, WE WILL CALL A SPADE A SPADE, THERE IS CLEARLY CONCERN. I PUT IT MILDLY, BUT WHERE HIS GAME IS AT. THE TOP 19, HE IS GOING TO TALK TO BUTCH HARMEN TO GET A SECOND

SET OF EYES, AND THAT IS NOT TOTALLY ATYPICAL. YOU’RE NOT DOING IT WHEN YOU PLAY YOUR BEST GOLF. IN MAJORS, WE HAVE SEEN A GOOD VERSION OF RORY. AND HE HAD SEVEN TOP TEN FINISHES, FOUR TOP FIVE. HE HAS BEEN CLOSE A LOT. BUT WITH THE MASTERS EVERYTH YE,

IT’S A DIFFERENT MINDSET. IT’S A DIFFERENT STRATEGY. I’M COMING TUESDAY, I’M COMING SUNDAY. WHY NOT STICK WITH A FORMULA — >> A FORMULA DOESN’T WORK. >> WELL, IT WORKED IN SO MANY OTHER TOURNAMENTS AND IF YOU KEEP TREATING THE MASTERS LIKE

IT’S ITS OWN ISLAND, AND YOU TREAT IT DIFFERENTLY, YOU ARE PUTTING SO MUCH WEIGHT AND PRESSURE — NOT ONLY ARE YOU TREATING IT EXTERNALLY, YOU ARE PROTEC PROJECTING IT TO WHAT YOU ARE FEELING INTERNALLY, AND SEE IT WHEN HE’S THERE.

HE’S BEEN IN THE FINAL GROUP ON SUNDAY. IT’S LIKE HE IS THAT FAR OFF. HE HAD A FOUR-SHOT LEAD IN 2011 GOING IN THE FINAL ROUND. HE IS SO TALENTED AND ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST THREE GOLFERS IN THE WORLD. IT’S NOT LAIKE HE IS THAT FAR OFF.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT’S A EVER-ENDING SEARCH. >> HE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO AVOID THE QUESTIONS, EXPECTATIONS AND THE PRESSURE. SO WHY NIGHT TRY TO CHANGE IT UP. HE NEEDS TO BE COMFORTING GOING IN THERE, AND ADAM SCOTT HAS SAID, SOMETIMES THAT CHANGES.

YOUR COMFORT LEVEL CHANGES, WHAT YOU EXPECT CHANGES AS YOU MOVE THROUGH YOUR CAREER, AND RORY McILROY IS TAKING A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE, A DIFFERENT LOGISTICAL ATTITUDE, AGAINST A PHILOSOPHICAL ATTITUDE. TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. I DON’T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING PARTICULARLY NEW OR STARTLING,

OTHER THAN SKIPPING THE PAR THREE CONTEST. IT’S SOMETHING A LOT OF GUYS DON’T WANT TO DO IN THE AFTERNOON, THE LAST FOUR HOURS BEFORE THEY TEE OFF AT THE MASTERS. >> THE STEPS HE IS TAKING THIS YEAR, HOLISTICALLY, THEY MAKE SENSE.

BUT EVERY YEAR, THERE IS A NEW GAME PLAN AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FALL BACK ON. IT’S LIKE, BLANK SLATE EVERY YEAR. LET’S THROW SOMETHING NEW TODAY, AND IF YOU LOOK AT GUYS THAT PLAYED THE WEEK BEFORE, IT’S BEEN CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE.

WHO ARE THE LAST FIVE CHAMPS AT AUGUSTA? PLAYED THE WEEK BEFORE. IT WAS JUST DININ JOHNSON, IN 2. THAT WAS IN NOVEMBER, ATYPICAL MASTERS, AND HIDEKI MATSUYAMA, THE NEXT YEAR, CARRIED NO FORM IN THE MASTERS, AND DIDN’T HAVE A TO