Rory McIlroy on the Gamers Championship on Thursday.

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After Rory McIlroy’s sturdy play on the Arnold Palmer Invitational final week, it was simple to place him at or close to the highest of the listing of favorites this week on the Gamers Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Then got here Thursday, when he opened with a disappointing four-over 76 that has him 12 pictures again of chief Chad Ramey.

After the spherical, as McIlroy was talking to the difficulties he was having on the course, the dialog shortly turned to his driver, a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus that he added to his bag after the primary spherical of the Genesis Invitational final month. Let’s break down what he was requested, and what he stated.

Query: “I believe the primary day final week your driver was barely off and you bought it again. Is it one thing that you just’re simply not cracking on along with your tee shot?”

McIlroy: “Yeah, clearly I went to that new driver in Riviera, and it’s simply not…Look, I want I may use my driver from final 12 months, however I can’t simply due to — you employ a driver for thus lengthy, and it begins to get slightly too…mainly, it simply wouldn’t cross the take a look at.”

The take a look at to which McIlroy is referring is the CT (attribute time) take a look at, which measures how briskly or “scorching” a driver’s face is. If the motive force’s face is simply too quick, it may be deemed non-conforming/unlawful.

When gamers use a driver for too lengthy, it will possibly develop into non-conforming by means of CT “creep,” which is what occurs when a driver head will get repeated use, particularly at larger speeds. The extra the face flexes on impression, the extra the steel — or carbon, within the case of McIlroy’s Stealth 2 Plus — begins to fatigue. Curiously, because the face begins to fatigue, it doesn’t decelerate — it truly will get sooner, resulting in extra distance.

Professionals’ drivers don’t typically fail CT assessments, nevertheless it does occur. Two days earlier than the beginning of the 2019 Open Championship, Xander Schauffele’s Callaway driver failed a take a look at and was deemed non-conforming by the R&A.

McIlroy is clearly attuned to driver rules as a result of he referenced the fatiguing course of after his spherical Thursday, saying, “The extra a membership is used, the extra it’s hit, the extra springy the face turns into.”

On the Genesis Invitational final month, the place the PGA Tour and USGA had been on-site CT-testing drivers, McIlroy stated he swapped drivers as a result of he was involved that his former first-generation TaylorMade Stealth might need been near the restrict. “I simply didn’t even need to take the possibility,” he stated Thursday. “I simply was not snug understanding that it may really feel — doesn’t look good on me, doesn’t look good on TaylorMade.”

When reached for remark, a TaylorMade spokesperson stated in a press release, “We continually monitor the efficiency of our merchandise on all excursions and work with our athletes on the most effective timeline to think about any optimum adjustments. This can be a regular and common course of.”

Though driver speak consumed most of McIlroy’s post-round press convention, he nonetheless positioned blame on himself for his poor play and famous one of many advantages his new driver has offered since he made the change.

“This one is as shut because it’s been (to the earlier driver),” he stated. “Yeah, there’s clearly part of it that’s the consumer, as effectively. It’s various consumer error in there, as effectively.”

When requested if his new driver confirmed a bent off the tee, McIlroy stated, “If something there’s not a variety of left in it, which I like. Traditionally, my miss off the tee has been left, so it’s good to know that you just’re form of taking, I assume, that facet out of play.”

The upside for McIlroy on Thursday: He nonetheless gained +.704 strokes on the sphere along with his driver, placing him contained in the top-20 in that class. He truly struggled extra along with his quick sport and putter, the place he was -3.181 across the greens and -2.628 along with his flatstick. McIlroy is three strokes off the present reduce line and in want of an enormous second spherical if he’s to offer himself an opportunity this weekend.

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Patacon.org Editor

Ryan Barath is GOLF Journal and Patacon.org’s senior editor for tools. He has an intensive club-fitting and -building background with greater than 20 years of expertise working with golfers of all ability ranges, together with PGA Tour gamers. Earlier than becoming a member of the workers, he was the lead content material strategist for Tour Expertise Golf, in Toronto, Canada.