Rory...wasting his talent?

What's the matter with Rory? (No, not Sabbatini, the other one) This time last year marked the beginning of a hot streak that was reminiscent of Tiger at his best. This year has marked a startling departure from that quality of play, where the best of his play has resulted in a few top-10s.

Rory was asked on Sunday night what the problem might be...  'What's wrong with my game?' he asked, rhetorically. 'My driving is still not where I need it to be, although it was better in the final round. My wedge play isn't consistent enough either. I'm coming in too steep to the ball and that's causing me problems with my distance control.
'Have I got enough time to fix it before the PGA? I don't know. I'm just going to go and play and maybe I might come into a little bit of form. I definitely feel like I have more control with the driver, and my short game is pretty good, so I am certainly going there with some positives.'


Putting coach and mentor Dave Stockton thinks it may be an issue of balance: 'The way I look at it is that he has had an awful lot going on this year and he has got his time management wrong,' said the American, who was US Ryder Cup captain in 1991.
'I don't think the clubs change has had much to do with it, but he's had that and the management split and Caroline and it's balancing all this with putting in the work to be the best player in the world. That's where I think he's fallen down this year. He's 24, with all that going on. He just needs to get the balance right. I just don't think it has worked.'


Perhaps bleacherreport.com are more accurate in their reasoning: 'Hardly touching a club for long periods of time during the offseason, taking two-week vacations to South Beach during the season, partying, spending time watching tennis tournaments while your game deteriorates—that simply isn't going to cut it at this level'.

So do you believe Rory's problems are of his own doing or is he just having a bad year and a bounce back is inevitable?

I posted about this recently, essentially saying exactly what Stockton and bleacherreport said (they are saying much the same thing, just with varying degrees of bluntness)

I suppose Stockton has to be diplomatic.

He's clearly having a year to let his hair down so to speak. Im sure he has had a fairly dedicated childhood and adolescence to the game so why not, he deserves it and its his choice and Im sure he's one of the few who is good enough to recapture the magic. In fact I suspect he fell into the trap of believing he was good enough to wing it and still have a good year.
It's only an issue if he moans about it and gives it the little boy lost routine which is sneaking in. Can't see a lot if sympathy heading his way.

Sounds awful.But he was playing intense intense stuff as a teenager and I can understand the slight distractions.No worries.

24Yr old multi millionaire with celebrity girlfriend at top of his profession gets distracted. Its non story. He can afford a "lost" season at his age and what he has already achieved. Let home enjoy himself as long as he takes note and gets better over the coming years then all should be fine.

I dread to think what I would have been like at that age!!

It's all very well excusing him this lack of focus, but the fact is that lots of players have had early success and not gone off the rails quite so spectacularly.

Then again I suppose Woods is the closest parallel, and while he didn't ever lose focus on winning he did eventually have his own debacle.

Not yet but let's see how the next year or two goes...

Much as I dislike Pube Head at least if he lets his "hair down" for a while he might not turn out to be the loathesome personality free moron that 9 Chins is.

Golf is an individual sport. The players go out there and are wholly responsible for their own performance and earnings, so it is really up to him if he wants to waste his talent, in the same way that it was up to Paul Casey to go off and injure himself enjoying risky sports.

It's not like a team sport where players are paid millions to perform a role in a team and can be accused of letting the team down if they do not perform.

I suppose you could look at it from a moral / philosophical point of view and say that because he has been blessed with such natural talent it is a crime to waste it.

Or would it be a crime for him not to live the lifestyle afforded by his talent while he is at an age to enjoy it. If he gave up today he would have a better career record then a lot of players both current and present. I would not blame him for enjoying his life a bit more. Just dont do it behind your wife/partners back, like Mr Woods, and his cheating ways.

beninho wrote:Or would it be a crime for him not to live the lifestyle afforded by his talent while he is at an age to enjoy it. If he gave up today he would have a better career record then a lot of players both current and present. I would not blame him for enjoying his life a bit more. Just dont do it behind your wife/partners back, like Mr Woods, and his cheating ways.

Same thing

Very true, i meant to write previous. But thanks for pointing it out.