Rory McIlroy seeks Tiger Woods' assistance for swing lessons before the 2023 PGA Championship: Reports
Rory McIlroy is going through a tough phase in his career right now. The Irish star is, however, set to tee off on Thursday, May 18, at the 2023 PGA Championship. Before the tournament, he reportedly approached Tiger Woods for assistance to get back his form.
McIlroy has had a pretty hard time in the last few tournaments he participated in. Most notably, he missed the cut at The Players Championship and The Augusta Masters.
The two-time PGA Championship winner also withdrew from a few designated events after the 2023 Masters. In the recently concluded Wells Fargo Championship, Rory McIlroy noticed some issues with his golf swing. To get ready for the second major tournament of the season, he approached his close friend Tiger Woods to assist him overcome his weakness.
Brendan Porath, co-host of Shotgun Start, reported McIlroy meeting four-time PGA Championship winner Woods. Porath tweeted:
"In addition to Rory McIlroy having Michael Bannon in town, @eamonlynch relaying on Golf Channel that Tiger texted Rory he saw something in his swing at Quail Hollow, and Rory spent a couple hours at Tiger’s house on Friday talking about the swing."
In addition to Rory McIlroy having Michael Bannon in town, @eamonlynch relaying on Golf Channel that Tiger texted Rory he saw something in his swing at Quail Hollow, and Rory spent a couple hours at Tiger’s house on Friday talking about the swing.
"I should be OK"- Rory McIlroy optimistic about getting his golf swing back
Rory McIlroy missed a great opportunity to complete a career grand slam at the 2023 Masters. However, with the 2023 PGA Championship approaching, he might be optimistic about his performance at the second major of the season.
Speaking to the media before the tournament, Rory McIlroy shared that he has been working on his golf swing, saying:
"I've been working a little bit on my swing the last couple of weeks trying to get that back in order. If I can execute the way I feel I know that I can, then I should be OK."
When Rory McIlroy was asked about the Oak Hill County Club and how he was feeling about competing there, he replied:
"Yeah, just club getting a little bit out of position at the top and then sort of the sequence of events that follow from there. Club face was getting a bit too open on the way back, really struggling to square it on the way down, and then sort of re-closure was getting a little too fast, throwing my hands on it, and sorta started to get the miss going both ways, especially at Quail Hollow."
McIlroy shared that he had been working on his strength and golf swing over the past weeks and feels optimistic to find his old form back. He stated:
"So trying to sort of tighten the start lines up a little bit, keep a little bit more strength in the club face, feel a little bit more squareness throughout the swing. That's sort of what I've been working on over the last week or so."
Later on, Rory McIlroy revealed that his coach Michael Bannon is staying at the Championship, adding:
"He's here with me this week. Again, I'm certainly not a rookie at this point. I know what my tendencies are and I know what the feelings are to try to sort of get it back on a good path."
Rory McIlroy might have had a miserable golf season but he will definitely be looking to utilize most of it from the 2023 PGA Championship.