Rory McIlroy showed that even he is human after all as he revealed he has changed to more of a game improvement iron for the new season which will be music to every golf hacker’s ears.
McIlroy has changed the blades to new cavity back Taylormade irons and the latest TP5 ball and there was certainly no change in his approach play as he hit towering iron shots to 3, 3 and 11 feet for three of the seven birdies he made in an opening 66 to lead the way at the Dubai Invitational.
“I do!” McIlroy chuckled when asked if he needed help like the rest of us golfing mortals. “If there is help to be had I’ll definitely take it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and even in Dubai at the end of last year I hit a couple of five irons that I miss hit slightly and instead of coming up five or seven yards short it was more ten to fifteen short.
“I asked the guys at Taylormade to build me up a set. I went down to Australia with them and felt they went through the firm turf better than the blades and I have practiced with them at home since.”
As for his five-under round which leaves him in the lead one shot clear of Connor Syme and David Puig, McIlroy was pleased with his overall performance as he roared to the turn in 31 with six birdies and one bogey but admits he possibly got caught out by the wind on his back nine as he cancelled out a birdie on the first with a bogey on the third as other birdie opportunities slipped by.
“It was good, got off to a great start. Played a very good front nine then the wind got up a little bit and felt that the second nine was the trickier one and made a silly bogey on three then didn’t capitalise on the par five after that so felt like I left a few out on that side but played a very good nine holes of golf going out so overall a good way to start the year.
“Overall I have liked what I’ve seen at home and today was a good test for it so it was very good.”
McIlroy made his dreams come true last year in winning the career grand slam at the Masters and after a brief lull he bounced back to win a dramatic Irish Open and a pulsating Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. But with a full season to come and a new slate, 2026 will be the acid test of where McIlroy’s motivation is really at.
“I like the work, I like the process. I enjoy doing challenging things and if you can make that the important part and make it routine then you don’t need motivation to do it. It’s your lifestyle it’s what you do and who you identify as. I identify as a hard worker and someone who likes to do those things so the more you do that the more it becomes who you are. I’ve done it for so long now that if I didn’t do it things would feel pretty foreign.”
Shane Lowry is also well placed just inside the top-10 on two-under after a solid round of 69 while Pádraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin have their work cut out from one-over and three-over respectively.
Scoring HERE
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