Abu Dhabi: Rory McILRoy made him something from the ritual to write his goal for the season behind his boarding pass on a flight to the Middle East for his first tournament this year.
Going, it’s been the days when he might write the name and number of tournaments he wanted to win.
For McILRoy, now about more smaller goals in His control.
And to see a bigger picture, he used the player he called his hero to grow, Tiger Woods, as a benchmark.
“Not saying that my game compares with it in any way,” McILRoy said on Wednesday from Woods, who now he considered a close friend, “but there must be a aspect of what he did very well in the past that would be clear Like put into my game.
“For that, McILRoy thought he had to be” more measured and controlled golfers.
” So, heading to his opening incident in 2022 in the Abu Dhabi Championship starting on Thursday, hoping to see the big champion four times became less aggressive than the tee, even if a potentially seized him from one of the best attributes – driving distance.
“I will choose and choose my places where I can use the driver and hit him, but the best player of the last 30 years, Tiger, he chose and chose where he hit the driver, and he played very, very controlled game,” McILRoy said .
“It didn’t work too bad for him.” McILRoy has the second longest average drive on the PGA tour in 2021 – behind Bryson Dechambeau – but below the average for a hit fairways, tied in 14 players.
Driving will definitely be tested on the Yas Link this week, with tight fairways and winds are expected to take to the weekend.
For McILRoy and every other player, it would be a new experience this week with the Rolex series tournament and one of the most prestigious on the European tour – has been staged at Abu Dhabi Golf Club nearby until this year.
Northern Irish people have a solid note there – four finises runner-ups and four more end results three in 11 appearances – without ever crossing the line.
Last year, he took the lead after 54 holes just to fire the last round 72 and finished five blows behind the winner of Tyrrell Hatton.
“Maybe this is what is needed to finally win this in the end, changes in the golf course,” he said.
“It is always the right place to start the year for me.
I always play quite well and hopefully I can continue the trend this week.” Hatton, an Englishman has ranked No.
22, returned to defend his title but said on Wednesday he had struggled to be motivated to practice.
“I’m not really focused while I’m there.
This can be a little waste of time,” Hatton said.
“Through the movements almost what I did when I was warm before I went and played, just sort of go through every other club in the bag and it’s kind of I was done in the range.
Generally, that’s all I did.”