Rory Looking To Get Back on Track at Bay Hill
- Dan Hauser
- 18 Mar, 2015
It’s no secret that Rory Mallory hasn’t had the start to the 2015 season on the PGA Tour that he would have liked.
After a hot start in the desert in the Middle East that saw him finish runner up in Abu Dhabi and win the Dubai Desert Classic, Rory returned to the states for the Florida Swing.
After a missed cut at The Honda Classic in windy and rainy conditions in his backyard in Palm Beach Gardens, Rory came back from Doral down a 3-iron and a tie for ninth finish.
This week, Mcllroy makes his Bay Hill debut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in what will be his final tuneup for Augusta.
“It’s been a longtime coming,” Mcllroy said about coming to Bay Hill. “I haven’t played this tournament for a few reasons over the past few years but it’s nice that it was able to fit in the schedule. I really like the course and I feel like it really sets up well for me.”
Rory took last week off to make a trip to Augusta with his dad, but also worked on his game with his coach Michael Bannon.
“Michael Bannon came over on Friday evening so we worked Saturday, Sunday and Monday at home,” Mcllroy said. “That was sort of an unplanned visit. The last five days have been really good though working with him one-on-one. It’s been really good.”
Overall, Rory says his game is in good shape for Arnie’s event.
“I feel good,” Mcllroy said. “I’m excited with the direction my game is going and excited to be here and get one more competitive outing in and try and get myself in contention and win a golf tournament before I turn my attention elsewhere.”
As for his Augusta trip, Rory said it was all about having fun with his dad.
“100% fun, 0% serious,” Rory said to describe his trip. “I didn’t hit any extra balls, I just played one ball the whole time. Just really wanted to go and enjoy it with my dad. That’s what the whole thing was about. We had a great time. It was about enjoying ourselves. Dad had a great time and at least now he appreciates what I go through one week a year. When I come off the course and he says ‘why did you do that on 6?’ or ‘why did you go there on 14?’, now he knows it’s not that easy.”
While the Masters, where Rory will look to complete the career grand slam, is certainly on his mind, his focus this week is on Bay Hill and honoring Palmer.
“I think being a European it’s a little different,” Rory said. “Arnold was kind of like our Seve {Ballesteros} in a way. He was the one that brought golf to the masses just like Seve did for European golf. So growing up I didn’t know that much about him just because I didn’t grow up in this country but when you come over here and you understand what he did for the game and the tour, if it wasn’t for Arnold Palmer, I don’t know where the game would be right now. It probably wouldn’t be in as good of a place as it is right now.”
“I’m delighted to be here and excited to spend some time with him. I’m going to have dinner with him tomorrow night so it’s going to be a nice week for that.”
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.
