There are quite a few eyes on Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow, and for multiple reasons. The Northern Irish golfer has been the standout performer this season on the PGA Tour, finishing in the top 20 in all the events he has competed in so far. Before Sepp Straka’s victory in the Truist Championship, McIlroy was the only multiple title winner on the Tour this season. But all that is in the “Past.”

Well, at least, according to McIlroy and his psychologist, Dr. Bob Rotella. That is something the duo never discusses, and Rotella was vehement about not touching on it. “Never. I have never had a discussion with him about any of that stuff,” Rotella explained.

The psychologist and the golfer started their process in 2021, when Rory McIlroy made a firm commitment to get better at the mental aspect of things. Rotella made his modus operandi very clear. They were not to dwell on the mistake, but instead work on it. He stated, “All of our conversations are about what we need to do and how to do it. Any more than I’ll have a discussion with him about any shots he missed. I don’t care about those. We’re all about how you’re going to respond to this stuff.” 

The Masters has always been like a monkey that McIlroy can’t get off his back. The one title that had evaded him since his debut at Augusta in 2009. Coincidentally, that is where Rotella and McIlroy first worked together in a professional capacity. That seemed long back, but the pangs and pains of the missed opportunities since then have stayed behind for the Northern Irish golfer.

“We accept before the tournament starts, you’re going to miss a lot of shots and putts. It’s the game. It’s like, can you handle it? I mean, so you get to a major that you want really badly and so does everybody else, it just emotionally, it makes it harder to deal with it and accept it, happening that week when you get a bad break or something. That’s why they’re majors. Most people can’t handle it. Can you?” Rotella further added candidly.

McIlroy himself felt the process was working. Remember how he shot a double bogey to start the fourth day of the Masters? His two-stroke lead evaporated in the first hole itself, and with that came an emotional collapse for the golfer, and people remembered that vividly. The golfer then explained how he navigated the mindset of past occasions, catching up to him in the present. “I had a two-shot lead so I thought if I went out and shot four-under-par, I was probably going to win that tournament. It was a way for me to make everything else irrelevant.”

Playing alongside an equally motivated golfer in Bryson DeChambeau does put a lot more pressure on you. But McIlroy had mentally trained himself to look past that and focus on his performance. “I wasn’t going to look at what my playing partner was doing, the leaderboard, I’m going to try and get into my own world. Even when I doubled the first, I knew I could still shoot four-under-par, so that was the whole mindset behind it.” McIlroy added.

The 29-time PGA Tour winner’s strong mental grit was a necessary weapon in his final boss battle against Justin Rose at Augusta. He will have to thank Dr. Bob Rotella for the fortitude and resolve he showed that day, despite the ups and downs.

Dr. Bob Rotella’s influence in the world of Golf

Rotella is not just the saving grace for Rory McIlroy. His influence is quite impressive, having worked with top clients. Reportedly, his clients have won over 75 Major titles while working with him. That is quite extraordinary.

Rotella’s expertise is not something that is heavily visible, unlike a swing coach’s teachings, which can be seen in the way you swing the ball, or a fitness coach’s regimen can be seen with the shape of the body and its movements. The psychologist prioritizes marginal gains, which, when you are at the highest level, could be the difference between winning three or four titles and finishing runner-up at all the tournaments.

His key thought process is to understand that mistakes are inevitable. How we work around them is key. “Golf is a game of mistakes by definition. The bottom line is you’re going to make a lot of mistakes every time you play golf. The best golfers in the world average about 12 greens in regulation, so even the best are missing about six greens a day.” Rotella had professed.

This same mentality played a significant role for Rory McIlroy at the Masters this year. Do you think Rotella can help the Northern Irishman get another major at Quail Hollow?