AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy is putting on a strange kind of masterclass through two rounds at Augusta National. He's 12-under and leading by six, but doing it while ranking second-to-last in driving accuracy, and losing SG: Off The Tee as a result.
But he's patching it together by, in his words:
"Becoming a wily old veteran"
In practice, it means knowing how to punch out in ways that help you put a score on the board. He's put on a masterclass in that regard, and there are a few things the rest of us may even be able to learn from it.
1. Only chase towards long-sided positions
A common theme in Rory's punch outs is leaving himself in long-sided positions—he's never punched out to a short-sided position. If the only way he can advance the ball is towards a short-sided position, he'll play a shorter punch out and lay further back. If he can advance to a long-sided position, he's fine chasing it down closer to the green.
His punch out on 17 was an example of that:
"I wanted to get it at least pin, level with the bunker, if not beyond the bunker, because I knew that was going to be a better angle for the chip shot. Harry and I talked about that," he said. "That's just the benefit of having a lot of experience around here is knowing, even if you're right at that green, whether you're front right, pin high right, back right, what the different shots are going to be like."
2. Diagonally forward is best
Sometimes pitching out directly sideways is the right call—but consider it a last resort. Whenever possible, you can see Rory looking for gaps to go diagonally forwards. That may mean bunting it down into the rough instead of the fairway—that's ok.
3. Swing soft
When golfers get into trouble, it often activates their fight or flight response. They try really hard to get out of trouble, which can lead to them swinging harder than they need to.
But look at how Rory hits these. Club up, a big choke down on the grip, a half swing, and a soft swing. The goal is to keep the ball low and running—that's the best technique to help you do that.
4. Always guarantee you'll clear the lip
Finally, in fairway bunkers, these are key moments where Rory doesn't push. He learned this the hard way after driving into the fairway bunker on the 2nd in 2011, getting too aggressive on the recovery and hitting the lip.
"I remember in the final round in 2011, hitting it in that bunker off the tee at the 2nd hole and thinking, 'oh, this isn't good. I can't go for this in two,'" Rory said. "I walk up there today, and it's like, no, if I lay it up to a good number, I'll have a good chance to make a birdie."
Inching out a few extra yards for taking more risk of hitting the lip simply isn't worth it. Choose the longest possible club that will guarantee you clear the lip.