Rory Says Rough, Hard Greens Challenge at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Before the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rory McIlroy said the rough and firm greens this year at Bay Hill GC were both a challenge. However, it didn’t stop him from shooting 7-under par in his first round.

“I think the last couple of years I’ve opened up the tournament really well with scores similar to what I shot today,” he said after his round. “You have par-5s, one every few holes, and you’ve got a couple of scorable par-4s. As long as you don’t do anything stupid and you keep it in play, you feel like you can sort of methodically build a score on this golf course. That’s what I tried to do today.”

McIlroy made birdie at three of the par 5s and eagle at the fourth one.

He was successful, he said because he hit good long irons. A 4-iron into the 12th and the 6th, he noted, were some of the best shots he’s hit in quite a while.  When he sees shots like that, he added, he knows his swing is in the right place.

The eagle came at the 16th, where the second shot is over a pond that fronts the green. Players have lost tournaments going for that green from the rough on that hole.

“…when you miss a green when the rough is like this, you know, it’s half skill, half guesswork, luck..”   Rory McIlroy

Rory did hit a rather astonishing 77 percent of fairways, and anyone at his level who is in the short grass that often should post a good score.

While McIlroy had success, the firmness of the greens did surprise him. Combined with the runoffs around the putting surfaces that have been eliminated, it makes getting close to the pins challenging.  It also eliminates the chipping skill set.

“I feel like, when you miss a green when the rough is like this, you know, it’s half skill, half guesswork, luck,” he said. “Whenever you miss greens and there’s runoffs and it gives you options, I think that’s where the guys with the better short games separate themselves. So that’s why I like runoffs. I like that style.”

McIlroy said having rough right off the greens makes playing the course easier for guys who do not have great short games.

“It’s fun to see different shots, and you can play it certain ways,” he continued about the switch to green surrounds with rough. “You miss a green, and you’ve pretty much got just blast it out and try to hole the putt.”

When asked if it was hit and hope out of the rough, Rory said it depended on the lie.

“If you get a decent lie, it’s more technique-based. But there’s a little bit of both in there,” he explained.

The rough in general is particularly healthy.  Missing fairways could be close to a one-shot penalty, McIlroy suggested.

His putting, he thinks, is benefiting from not having the greens books. He’s more into the process of thinking about each putt.

The only other putting issue he’s had recently is his setup, which McIlroy said had gotten a little bit off.  That led to a series of issues.  First, he got too far away from the ball.  That caused his right arm to leave his side which affected his stroke.

With his proper setup, his right arm is next to his side and the plane is supposed to match his shaft plane.  Once his shaft plane is out of alignment, his putts don’t go in the right direction.

With most of the field through 27 holes, McIlroy’s score is still leading,  but there are many golfers left on the course. The next best score currently is 5-under par.