Rory McIlroy has admitted he needs to eliminate some "bad habits" from his game if he is to successfully defend his Irish Open title this weekend. The World No. 2 claimed victory at the event last year in dramatic fashion, forcing a play-off with Sweden's Joakim Lagergren by holing a remarkable 25-foot putt for an eagle before winning on the third hole of sudden death.
McIlroy is now looking to retain his home title while also securing his first tournament win since retaining the Masters. His best result since his second Augusta triumph was a third-placed finish at the BMW Championship last month.
Honest admission on recent displays
Looking ahead to the competition at Doonberg, McIlroy made an honest admission about his recent performances. Speaking about the issues he has encountered with his swing, the Northern Irishman said: "I played Memphis (FedEx St Jude Championship) and played very poorly, and was looking at my swing on video and just didn't like where it was."
"I submitted to making a few changes – not changes that are unfamiliar to me, changes that I have had to do before. Everyone has their tendencies and bad habits in the golf swing and I just got into a bad habit in mine."
"It is still something I am working through and conscious of, but I do think if I can really dig into it in the next few months, I feel like I will start the 2027 year where I want it to be. I think everyone's golf course is a work-in-progress – mine is no different. There is always things that you want to try to improve upon."
Memphis struggles
McIlroy endured a difficult time in Memphis, finishing 66th at eight over par, a seismic 25 shots behind eventual winner Scottie Scheffler. After the event, he admitted he was left feeling "lost" in his swing, which caused concern among many fans.
At the time, he said: "Obviously didn't come in here with a ton of reps, almost felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing a little bit."
"I figured it out a little bit the last few holes today, I think. Yeah, swing wasn't in sync and obviously didn't do a ton of practice coming in here. I guess nice to shake the rust off a little bit, but I'm going to have to work pretty hard between now and next Thursday to feel like I have any sort of golf game to compete next week."
