Rory McIlroy tried his hand at punditry this weekend after enduring an average week by his own very high standards at Riviera – and he offered some words of advice for the best player on the planet.
As unbelievable as it sounds, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is struggling at the moment, with his poor performance on the greens at odds with most other parts of his game.
There are no hiding places at the top level, especially when you’re No.1 in the world, and Scheffler was out of sorts with the putter again at the Genesis Invitational, where he holed just three putts outside of 10 feet all week.
🎤 @McIlroyRory is in the booth @TheGenesisInv! pic.twitter.com/i9eEQcKoELFebruary 18, 2024
“I've certainly been through my fair share of putting woes over the years, and I finally feel like I've broken through and become a pretty consistent putter,” said McIlroy, when CBS Sports’ Amanda Renner asked the Ulsterman what advice he could offer the American.
Scheffler ranked second in strokes gained/tee to green, first in SG/around the green and last in SG/putting (among the 51 players to play the weekend).
Such stats might not have been a surprise last year, when the former Masters champion was struggling with the flat stick.
However, when the six-time PGA Tour winner won the Hero World Challenge towards the back end of 2023, there were signs that his work with Phil Kenyon, one of the world’s best putting coaches, might be starting to bear fruit.
In California, however, where incredibly Scheffler still managed to finish in a tie for tenth, the prestigious ball-striker seemed to be struggling again.
McIlroy, of course, has been here himself, and is well aware of what it feels like to dominate the field from tee to green, only to struggle to take advantage and convert chances on the greens.
“For me, going to a mallet was a big change,” McIlroy said after a final-round 70 at Riviera, which saw him finish tied 24th.
“I really persisted with the blade putter for a long time, but I just feel like your stroke has to be so perfect to start the ball on line, where the mallet just gives you a little bit more margin for error.”
McIlroy added: “I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet. But selfishly for me, Scottie does everything else so well that he’s given the rest of us a chance.”
Scheffler has experimented with mallet putters in the past, but currently uses a putter from Olson Putter Co., which is based off a classic Anser 2 model.
Whether he takes McIlroy’s advice as he gears up for the first Major of the season in April, the Masters in seven weeks’ time, remains to be seen.
