Coming off a disastrous 66th-place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Rory McIlroy needed to level it up at the BMW Championship, and he has delivered so far, climbing back into contention and sitting tied for seventh after the second round. The result is encouraging, but McIlroy still has some work to do with his swing, and he made that clear after Friday’s round.

“Maybe not as good,” he told reporters during Friday’s press conference about his swing. “I hit a few loose shots. But… it’s going to be a work in progress. There’s going to be days where it feels a bit better and going to be days where it doesn’t. Today I hit some decent iron shots but was a little more squirrely off the tee. Hit a couple decent ones coming in. But I’ll go work on it a bit this afternoon.”

Notably, Rory McIlroy used a custom training club fitted with a bulky Flat Cat putter grip turned at a 45-degree angle as a range aid during practice at the BMW Championship. He used this setup to check and feel the proper position for his right hand during his backswing. So, the reporter asked McIlroy about the putter grip aid, noting that the golfer had said the device helps him with his hand positioning. 

“It just helps my right arm work better,” McIlroy answered. “Just the structure of it. Then the club gets more supported at the top. And then if I’m there, I feel like I can really hit whatever shot I want. So it’s more to help the right arm structure and sort of feel like keeping the right hand on top of the grip more on the way back.”

Whatever it’s doing, it’s definitely producing results for Rory McIlroy. He carded a bogey-free opening round on Thursday, making six birdies to finish at 6-under 64. His swing aid appeared to pay dividends again in the second round, as he carded two birdies and a bogey on the front nine before producing a mistake-free back nine.

This performance marks a significant turnaround from McIlroy’s recent outings. He finished T66 at the St. Jude Championship. Before that, he finished tied for 40th at The Open, raising further questions about his form. While his fans have defended him by pointing to his limited activity this season, his recent performances have fallen well below the standards expected of a player of his stature.

In any case, this isn’t the first time McIlroy has spoken about his struggles with his swing. During the Scottish Open and The Open, he admitted that practicing in a strong left-to-right crosswind on the range had disrupted his mechanics, causing his club path and clubface to separate and resulting in mishits with his irons.

Even at the St. Jude Championship, McIlroy admitted that he felt completely “lost with the golf swing” during his dismal T66 finish. He noted that his right arm was thrusting outward rather than tracking down the line. While the swing still appears to be an issue, McIlroy has at least found himself in a more favorable position at the BMW Championship, one more befitting of his status.

Notably, only the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings will advance to next week’s Tour Championship, as J. J. Spaun leads the event. McIlroy’s position in the standings has secured his place in the season finale, but it remains to be seen whether he can maintain his improved form through the final round.