The influence of putting coach Dave Stockton in Rory McIlroy's victory at the US Open was plain to see.
Stockton told me recently that Rory's manager Andrew Chandler approached him in May, ahead of his defence at Quail Hollow,discount golf clubs to help free the Irishman's
putting stroke and get him more positive around the hole. Immediately Stockton did away with Rory's pre-shot routine which included no longer looking at the
putt from the opposite side of the hole and taking away a couple of practice strokes inside the ball at address.
"Place the putter behind the ball, pick your line a few inches in front of it and roll the ball over it,"TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons is the mantra Stockton dictates to all his pupils from mid-handicapper to US Open champion.
As a result McIlroy almost takes less time to putt than Aaron Baddeley - surely the fastest putter on Tour. By getting on with it and being positive about
your first instincts about how the ball is going to break the Stockton 'speed putting' method avoids muddled thinking and reduces the time for distraction
and negative thoughts.
With only one three-putt throughout the championship - and that through lack of concentration on the 71st hole when the title was already won - McIlroy
looked more relaxed than ever.Callaway FT-iZ Fairway Wood His pace control was exceptional on greens that were not only fast but spiked up from heavy traffic, especially on the last
two days.
Thanks to McIlroy and Stockton, the days of checking the line from every angle and dithering pre-putt routines could be drastically reduced. And that can
only be good news for millions of us looking to speed up play on our local courses.
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