Rory McIlroy Sounds The Alarm After Revealing 'A Bad Habit' Has Returned to His Swing

Rory McIlroy has admitted that a familiar problem has started to creep back into his golf swing. The six-time major champion is now working to fix what he calls a “bad habit” after a poor FedExCup playoff start raised questions about his form. McIlroy said he was unhappy with his swing after the St. Jude Championship and has since worked with coach Michael Bannon to make changes. Ahead of his Irish Open title defense, the world No. 2 says the work is still ongoing.

Rory McIlroy Opens Up About His Golf Swing Problems

McIlroy struggled badly at the St. Jude Championship after returning from a break. He finished tied for 66th and admitted afterward that he had not done enough practice before the event. “I didn't come in here with a ton of reps, almost felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing,” he said.

The Northern Irishman then worked with Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond before the BMW Championship. His form quickly improved, with a third-place finish at the BMW Championship followed by a tied-fourth finish at the Tour Championship. McIlroy also spent hundreds of balls working on his swing during that stretch.

Now, McIlroy believes the issue came from a habit that had slowly returned to his swing. “Everyone has their tendencies and bad habits in the golf swing and I just got into a bad habit in mine,” he said. He knows the problem is not completely gone, but wants to use the coming months to fix it properly.

Rory McIlroy Looks To Fix Swing Before 2027

McIlroy is not treating the problem as a quick fix. He said he is still working through it and hopes more time with his swing changes will help him begin 2027 in better shape. “I think everyone's golf swing is a work-in-progress. Mine's no different,” McIlroy said.

His recent results suggest the work has already helped. After the difficult week in Memphis, McIlroy returned to the top end of the leaderboard at his next two PGA Tour starts. He now heads into the Irish Open as defending champion, with a chance to win the event for a third time.

There is another part of the story too. McIlroy's comments about his practice and changing priorities have drawn criticism from golf legend Gary Player, who believes the six-time major champion should still be chasing another career Grand Slam.

Gary Player Questions Rory McIlroy's New Approach

Player, a nine-time major champion and fellow career Grand Slam winner, said he was “shocked” by McIlroy's recent comments about playing less. “Man, he should be saying, ‘I want to win another Grand Slam'. I'm shocked,” Player said. He also questioned McIlroy's comments about not wanting to hit as many balls.

McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in 2025. He has since spoken about giving more time to his family while reducing parts of his schedule. Still, he has made it clear that he remains focused on competing, and his late-season schedule includes several major DP World Tour events.

For now, McIlroy's focus is much simpler: play well at the Irish Open and keep fixing the swing issue that bothered him earlier this season. He begins his title defense at Doonbeg alongside Brooks Koepka and Robert MacIntyre, with another chance to show that the work is paying off.