Rory McIlroy believes the world of professional golf is catching up to him in driving ability, attributing advancements in technology and training as key factors.
McIlroy, who won the 2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year, is widely regarded as one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the modern era due to his distance and unmatched ball flight.
The three-time Major winner currently averages 311 yards with the driver on the PGA Tour this season, while he also leads the American circuit for strokes gained off the tee.
When asked if the improvements of technology and training had made driving the ball easier, McIlroy said: “Yeah, so I would say DJ, myself, maybe like a Gary Woodland, that sort of style of play I think became pretty prevalent in the sort of 2010, ’11, ’12, and I think for a while there, there was a big advantage if you played that way.
“You could really take advantage of driver off the tee, but there’s so many things that go into it.
“There’s TrackMan. There’s analytics, people telling you to hit driver more. People are training more, technology in drivers, technology in ball.
“I think all those things together, it has probably corralled us a little bit more closer together. Maybe not quite as easy to separate yourself as it was 10 years ago.”
McIlroy is currently playing at Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches on the PGA Tour.
