Rory McIlroy ready to bounce back and win second Open Championship
- Kevin Palmer
- 9 July 2021
Rory McIlroy is convinced he has found a key to his swing problems, as he targets success at next week's Open Championship.
Speaking at the launch of GolfPass on Sky Q, the four-time major winner confirmed he has been working with coach Pete Cowan on his driving in recent days after a poor showing at last week's Irish Open and he is hopeful of getting himself in a position to challenge for the Open when it gets underway at Royal St George's next week.
"I now know why I was not driving the ball so well and that's half the battle," he stated. "I met up with Pete on the range here in Scotland on Tuesday morning and we did some good work.
"It is just a matter of going out on the golf course and trusting it and we are certainly in a better place than we were leaving Mount Juliet last week."
McIlroy went on to reveal he has not been reunited with his former coach Michael Bannon since returning to the UK, as he prepares for next week's Open Championship.
The four-time major winner, who will represent Ireland at the Olympic Games this summer, has been working with coach Pete Cowan in America, with Bannon unable to travel during the pandemic due to travel restrictions.
Now McIlroy has revealed he is happy to work with Cowan, as he suggested he preferred to have a clear focus in his game as he looks to win his fifth major at Royal St George's next week.
"When I started working with Pete, I committed to working with him for the foreseeable future," he continued.
"It is better for me at the moment to have one voice in my ear and not two.
"I have always left the door open to work with Michael when I feel that might be necessary, but it has been exclusively Pete for the last few months. He's here, we are working well together and that's all I need.
"If I am not swinging at my best, I want someone to tell me that. The more honest they are, the better."
GolfPass has been a huge success in America and now it has been brought to the UK and Ireland via Sky, with the former world No.1 excited to be part of the expansion.
"I've been involved with GolfPass for the last couple of years and now it is available of Sky Q," he added. "We are trying to bring golf into the 21st century, bring the game forward and make it more accessible.
"We have instructional video on there, interviews, a lot of cool things on there and I'm happy to be a partner. Hopefully we can go from strength to strength and hopefully people on Sky can start to enjoy it in Ireland and the UK now.
"One of the silver linings from Covid is the uptake in participation at golf courses and we have to find how we can keep it going. An initiative like GolfPass can really help this.
"We need to make golf accessible, especially the younger generations and I think that's where this can be really helpful.
"A lot of the best instructors and players are on GolfPass and I've realised over the last few years how good the game of golf has been to me. Never did I believe I would be here sitting in the position I am in. This feels like a way of giving something back to the game of golf.
"There are still a lot of places in the world where golf is an aspirational sport and we need to break down those barriers."
GolfPass, the ultimate golf app, arrives on Sky Q today, so fans can watch daily golfing tips and hundreds of exclusive videos, bringing you closer to the game you love, at home, in an informative, fun and interactive way. The app is divided into two sections; WATCH and LEARN and gives GolfPass members access to a raft of golf content, all available on Sky Q.
