Rory McIlroy endured a shockingly shaky return during a lengthy layoff prior to the St. Jude Championship, ultimately limping to a disappointing T66 finish. He candidly admitted he felt “lost with my golf swing” because he “didn’t do a ton of practice.” After frantically collaborating with swing coach Michael Bannon to salvage his mechanics, McIlroy bounced back with strong showings at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. Now, heading directly into his Irish Open defense, he appears utterly determined not to repeat those costly preparation mistakes.

“I played Memphis and played very poorly, and was looking at my swing on video and just didn’t like where it was,” he told reporters at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel on Wednesday. “Yeah, submitted to making a few changes — not changes that are unfamiliar to me. Changes that I’ve had to do before. Everyone has their tendencies and bad habits in the golf swing, and I just got into a bad habit in mine.”

He recognized that rigorous mechanical adjustments are essential to prevent further regression as the season winds down.

“It’s still something I’m working through and conscious of, but I do think if I can really dig into it in the next few months, I feel like I’ll start the 2027-year where I want it to be. And yeah, I think everyone’s golf course is a work-in-progress. Mine’s no different. There’s always things that you want to try to improve upon,” Mcllroy continued.

He tees off on Thursday hoping for a strong start while keeping a close eye on the broader European schedule. Currently ranked second in the Race to Dubai standings behind Patrick Reed, he noted that he has deliberately prioritized this late-season stretch in recent years. This relentless pursuit of excellence has yielded immense success, though persistent swing flaws have plagued his mechanics throughout various stretches of the season.

McIlroy shot a 75 in the third round at the Truist Championship, repeatedly hitting the ball left. McIlroy explained that the issue was caused by repeatedly practicing in a left-to-right wind, which led him to aim farther left and close the clubface to compensate. 

However, he recognized the same swing “bad habit” that had troubled him at the Masters and corrected it before the PGA Championship. He spent around 100 balls on the range in an effort to do so. And these efforts continued well past the PGA Championship. Reportedly, McIlroy was working extensively on two unusual-looking swing drills during the 2026 Tour Championship at East Lake. 

According to Golf Digest, it was exaggerated practice movements rather than changes to his actual playing swing. The drills are intended to help McIlroy reinforce particular feels and improve the sequencing and movement of his swing. McIlroy was deliberately using these unusual drills to sharpen his swing mechanics. And considering that he finished tied for 4th at the Tour Championship, it’s safe to say that it worked.

In the meantime, however, Gary Player is unhappy about comments from McIlroy, which he made after the season-ending event.

Gary Player responds to Rory McIlroy after shifting priority claims

Rory McIlroy’s decision to scale back his schedule has drawn a blunt response from golf legend Gary Player, who believes the six-time major champion still has plenty left to chase. McIlroy recently admitted that his priorities have shifted after completing his career Grand Slam and defending his Masters title, with more time now reserved for his family. Player, however, cannot understand the change in mentality. 

“I hear Rory with the best swing in the world saying, ‘now I’ve won the Grand Slam, I don’t have the same desire to play a lot’. Man, he should be saying, ‘I want to win another Grand Slam’. I’m shocked,” Player said.

While McIlroy joined only five others by competing in his single Grand Slam, he can join only two, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, if he manages to complete another. 

“And then he says, ‘I don’t believe in hitting a lot of balls’. Well, that’s c–p. If you hit a lot of balls, you build up determination, and it makes you work harder, makes your muscles better. He comes out with very strange things.”

Notably, Player himself has one Grand Slam under his belt, but never managed to get a second. 

Despite Player’s harsh public criticism, McIlroy shows zero intention of walking away from the sport prematurely as he continues his meticulous quest for swing perfection. Whether these ongoing mechanical adjustments will ultimately propel him toward a second career Grand Slam remains to be seen. For now, the defending champion remains entirely focused on rectifying his bad habits and successfully retaining his crown at Trump International.