TaylorMade showed off their creative abilities Tuesday, releasing a video of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa playing “pool” on a putting green.
Rory McIlroy schools Collin Morikawa in game of pool, but there’s a catch
TaylorMade put Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa against each other in a golf game of pool, and it was epic.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Similar to billiards, this version of pool has six pockets—four in each corner and two along the sides at the midway point.
But instead of a pool cue, these two major champions used their putters instead.
The rules follow below:
To determine the break, McIlroy and Morikawa stood on one side of the “pool table” and hit putts towards the other end. Whosever ball lands closest to the opposite rail goes on to break.
For the break, a yellow ball is used—similar to a queue ball in billiards.
The yellow ball is removed after the break, quickly turning this game into a strategic putting contest.
Each player has six balls: stripes or solids.
To win, the player must make one ball in each of the six pockets. Two balls cannot go in the same hole.
If a player makes a putt, they get to putt again. If they miss, then the opposing player is up. Whoever makes all six of their putts into each respective hole wins.
Morikawa likely felt embarrassed by his performance. He consistently missed putts most would expect a professional golfer to make. McIlroy would ultimate win the challenge.
“Pretty fun!” McIlroy exclaimed following the match.
Perhaps the Northern Irishman should play this game more often, as his putter has plagued him over the past few years.
Last year, at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews, McIlroy could not make a putt during Sunday’s final round as the world watched Cameron Smith race past him en route to winning the Claret Jug.
This year, the putter has continued to abandon him, as he ranks 144th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting.
Similar things can be said about Morikawa with the flat stick, as the Californian ranks 158th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting this season.
Perhaps TaylorMade should sell this game as a training device, which could help golfers everywhere improve their game on the greens.
At the very least, McIlroy and Morikawa should continue to play it—they could use the practice.
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