There are two or three contenders out there, and the best may vary from day to day, but it’s undeniable that Rory McIlroy is maybe the best driver in the world.
Rory McIlroy’s nuked 400-yard drive at the Travelers exemplifies the thrill, and frustration, of his game
Rory’s obscene drive accentuates just how different the game can be for him, but what followed is a reminder of how frustrating that advantage also can be.
That club was a mess at the U.S. Open, where Rory repeatedly went wild and bombed out early, missing the cut by several shots at Erin Hills. At the Travelers Championship, however, it’s a much different story. McIlroy has been almost perfect tee-to-green through his first round-and-a-half in his first ever visit to TPC River Highlands.
A drive on Friday afternoon accentuated just how different a game this can be for McIlroy, as he cut the corner off one of the hardest holes on this layout. The fourth hole annually has an overpar scoring average, one of the few on this par-70 TPC course. It’s a par-4 pushing 500 yards. But Rory completely went over the top on this slight dogleg, dropping one 393 yards into the middle of the fairway.
The PGA TOUR LIVE commentators were stunned, assuming the ball would get hung up in the junk down the right side. Instead, it reappeared and bounded down the fairway just 76 yards from the hole:
What happens after the drive, however, has been an adventure for McIlroy. Just like the tee ball encapsulated his driving advantage, the remainder of the hole encapsulated the frustration that bubbles sometimes watching Rory.
From 76 yards out — a nice little wedge — Rory put it to 10 feet. That’s not a bad shot from that distance, but it’s also not the best at this level. Then, from 10 feet, Rory blew it two feet past and had to tap in for a par. Rory is playing with two players, Brian Harman and Jim Furyk, who would be considered shorter hitters on Tour. They poked it out there nicely at the fourth but were still some 60 yards behind Rory. But all three made par, and both Harman and Furyk are ahead of the four-time major winner on the leaderboard.
On Thursday, Rory said his round could have been historic because his ball striking was so good. But his putter, a new TaylorMade Spider that he put in the bag just last week, and the stroke that comes with it, let him down several times. He missed three inside seven feet, which is inexcusable. And he already seemed to be considering another putter change, telling Golf Channel after the round he wanted to give it one more week to see how it performed.
So while it remains exhilarating to watch Rory drive the ball -- there will be tweets and breathless reaction every time he nukes one like this — there’s still a frustration there watching his full game. You sound like an old #wellactually codger if you point out he just made a par as a counter, but his wedge game and putting have to get better as he hits a busy summer stretch. Given his lack of reps this year due to injuries, we’re betting it will.
