Harrington: "Increasing McIlroy's Driving Distance Is Like Opening Pandora's Box"

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Don't be obsessed with distance."

P?draig Harrington (Ireland), captain of the European Ryder Cup team, advised his junior Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland, photo), saying "Increasing driving distance is a kind of addiction" and "It's like opening Pandora's box." It is interesting that McIlroy has recently been on a downward slope. Since winning the World Golf Championships (WGC) HSBC Champions in November 2019, he has not won any tournaments, and at The Players Championship, known as the "fifth major," which ended on the 14th, he even suffered the humiliation of missing the cut.

In an interview with Golf Digest USA, Harrington argued, "When you are young, it's not a big problem, but as you get older, you can pay a high price." He added, "McIlroy's current ball speed of 180 miles per hour is already top-tier on tour," and "There is absolutely no need to fear Bryson DeChambeau, who has transformed into a long hitter this year." This was an effort to protect McIlroy, who will lead the European team at the Ryder Cup in September.

McIlroy himself confessed, "Trying to imitate DeChambeau ruined my shots." It is worth noting that DeChambeau was the longest hitter on the PGA Tour in 2018, averaging 319.7 yards. After "bulking up" last year, DeChambeau increased his driving distance by more than 20 yards, and now McIlroy seems to be trailing by about 10 yards. "Since last October, I have added more torso rotation to my low-trajectory swing," he said, "My distance has increased somewhat, but my overall swing has worsened," expressing regret.

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