Sir Nick Faldo on Rory McIlroy: “He stands up there with a wedge and we all cringe”

Sir Nick Faldo delivered a scathing review of Rory McIlroy’s short game ahead of The Masters.

During a discussion about Rory McIlroy’s upcoming attempt to complete the career grand slam at Augusta National, Sir Nick Faldo criticized McIlroy’s approach play as lacking.   

McIlroy has had a disappointing season on the PGA Tour thus far, with his drop in performance attributed directly to his struggles with a wedge. 

McIlroy is known for his strong driving abilities, but he tends to struggle once he nears the green, particularly within 150 yards.   

McIlroy was ranked 8th for strokes gained approach on the PGA Tour in 2023, but by 2024 he had dropped to a disappointing 119th place.    During a round-table discussion about The Masters, Faldo openly shared his analysis of McIlroy’s game without hesitation. 

He told GolfMagic:

“There’s four or five or six years of scar tissue now, of Rory coming in as favourite, playing great… he’s the or one of the top players.

“His short irons is his major issue. He’s one of the greatest drivers of the golf ball and then he stands up with a wedge and we all cringe.

“If Butch can help him on that that’s probably all he needs to do. Anything from a nine iron down, just find a way to get through it better

In an attempt to fix his swing issues, McIlroy recently visited legendary golf coach Butch Harmon for a final tune-up ahead of his visit to Augusta National.

The pair spent four hours together in Vegas working on approach play, and according to Harmon, they made a great deal of progress.

Speaking to GolfMagic, he said:

“He came here and we spent four hours going over some things in his swing he wasn’t happy with. A lot of it was missing green with wedges and short irons. The fixes were pretty small, but created a much better swing.”

It’s now been ten years since McIlroy last won a major championship, with his last victory coming at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

Since then, McIlroy has come agonisingly close to adding to his tally, recording 20 top-ten finishes in majors as well as coming second three times, the most recent of which came at the 2023 US Open, where he lost out to Wyndham Clark by a single shot.

Currently 34, McIlroy is no longer considered one of the young guns on the PGA Tour, but despite that, Faldo believes he is still very much in his prime and could still be in ten years’ time.

He added:

“It was always 30-35 wh

en you were in your prime and he is still in his prime. They are so fit and trained now so he has got at least another 10 years I would say of being super-sonically fit. It is all about motivation and everything.

“I still think the problem is time’s gone by. We are nearly 10 years now since his last Major. That is the problem. It is the trust factor. Whatever you want to call it. Self-belief, confidence. Whatever you like to call it. He has tried his best at times: Can I re-set, can I literally forget the past, who I am? Look how talented I am and go and play golf again.

“Can you turn back the clock? Can you delete all the negativity that you have seen and felt? The feeling part is probably worse than what you are seeing. Can he start again fresh? Maybe there is a way. I wouldn’t put it past him. I think there is a way where he could find his stride because, as we know, when he finds that stride and gets that trust, then he is phenomenal.

“I bet that is all he wants to do: Just set me free. I think that is what he is trying to do. He has pulled himself off all the policy boards and this sort of thing. Try and be a golfer again. I think 35 is a great age to be at. That is nothing. He is fit, strong. He is one of the technically strongest players almost ever in the game of golf. So I think I still would say he could find a way. Obviously it is the mental part that is really the one. And the technical to be honest. It is a bit of technical but it is finding that trust.”

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