Rory McIlroy just ‘locked’ himself in a studio for 3 weeks to fix swing after major collapses

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy tin decorativeness a play arsenic nan European tour’s apical subordinate for nan sixth clip pinch a triumph astatine nan Abu Dhabi Championship this week.

He’ll effort to do truthful pinch a caller swing.

The No. 3-ranked McIlroy said he has been hunkered down successful a workplace — first successful Florida, past successful New York — for 3 weeks, conscionable hitting balls astatine a surface pinch a modified plaything and not moreover looking astatine nan formation of his shots.

He hasn’t liked nan style of his plaything for a while, he said Wednesday, and wanted a much robust 1 that could clasp up successful nan astir pressure-filled moments pursuing a number of missed chances this season.

The astir notable was astatine nan U.S. Open successful June, where he missed 2 putts successful nan 3-foot range in nan last 3 holes connected Sunday to pave nan measurement for a victory for Bryson DeChambeau and extend McIlroy’s decade without a awesome title.

“The only measurement I was going to make a change, aliases astatine slightest move successful nan correct direction, pinch my plaything was to fastener myself successful a workplace and not spot nan shot formation for a spot and conscionable attraction wholly connected nan movement,” McIlroy said.

“It’s thing conscionable to make my play plaything much efficient, and past if it is much efficient, past it intends it’s not going to break down arsenic overmuch nether pressure. If I look astatine my year, nan 1 point that I would knock myself connected is nan truth that I’ve had these chances to win.”

McIlroy has won doubly this twelvemonth — astatine nan Dubai Desert Classic and nan Wells Fargo Championship — and has had 4 second-place finishes, including precocious astatine nan Irish Open and nan BMW PGA Championship connected nan European tour.

That has near nan Northern Irishman disappointment but good clear successful nan Race to Dubai rankings that find nan champion subordinate of nan twelvemonth connected nan European tour. A triumph successful Abu Dhabi tin seal nan title and region immoderate suspense — astatine slightest for McIlroy — from nan last arena of nan season, astatine nan World Tour Championship successful adjacent Dubai adjacent week.

“If I spell retired and triumph this week, evidently you know, it makes it a spot boring adjacent week,” nan four-time awesome champion said. “But I won’t find it boring. It will beryllium lovely.”

A sixth Race to Dubai title — it utilized to beryllium called nan Order of Merit — would put McIlroy level pinch nan precocious Seve Ballesteros connected nan all-time database and only 2 down Colin Montgomerie, who has a grounds eight.

“I’m a European player,” McIlroy said. “I would for illustration to spell down arsenic nan astir successful European of each time. Obviously Race to Dubai wins would count to that but besides awesome championships and hopefully I’ve sewage a fewer much Ryder Cups up of maine arsenic well.

“So that’s thing that I would for illustration to (do). I deliberation (it) is simply a extremity that’s rather attainable complete nan adjacent 10 years.”