People are always amazed by how far I hit the ball off the tee. I'm not the biggest guy out here, at 5-feet-10 and 160 pounds, but I've always been long for my size. I have a lot of natural speed. In the gym I work mostly on core stability and flexibility, which has helped make me longer. Plus, I like to swing with no fear. I'm a grip-it-and-rip-it guy. I've always played that way, and I've quickly found that nearly everyone on tour does, too. Over the ball, I think about nothing other than the target. I don't focus on technique. But, under pressure, I do use one simple swing thought: I pick a spot a foot in front of the ball and hit over it -- hard. That takes my mind off the outcome of the shot and keeps me in the process.
--Rory McIlroy
Swing Sequence
The Natural: Rory McIlroy
How Northern Ireland's can't-miss kid finds his power
July 2009
AGE: 20 | HEIGHT: 5-feet-10 | DRIVER: Titleist 909D2, 8.5 deg. | BALL: Titleist Pro V1x (2009) | 2009 PGA TOUR AVERAGE DRIVING DISTANCE: 303.3 yards | 2009 PGA TOUR GREENS IN REGULATION: 66.4 percent
RO-RY! RO-RY! RO-RY!
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