Rory McIlroy's former manager has given a brutal verdict on the star's dramatic drop in form in the last 12 months.
Chubby Chandler claims the Northern Irishman has 'sacrificed' a year of his career and is currently looking 'disinterested'.
McIlroy's long wait for a fifth major continues, with his last triumph coming at the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014.
He will head to Augusta next month as he looks to finally overcome his demons at the Masters and get his hands on the green jacket.
But McIlroy has been far from his best ahead of the first major of the year.
He won the Dubai Desert Classic in January but has struggled in the five tournaments since.
McIlroy's best performance of those five came last week at the Players Championship, where he finished tied 19th.
Chandler says the 34-year-old has been unable to bounce back from a tough 2023, claiming the year 'took its toll'.
The agent claims the likes of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus would not have allowed a year to pass them by like McIlroy has.
Chandler told BetIdeas.com: "McIlroy looks disinterested. Tiger and Nicklaus would never have sacrificed a year of their careers like he did.
"Rory looks disinterested to me. He doesn't look sharp. It looks to me at the moment that last year took an awful lot out of him, and suddenly he got let down, and he's finding it hard to get back up again.
"That's what it looks like to me. There is no spark in his eyes, no twinkle.
"You know that bouncy step he has when he's playing well, it's not there, and I'm sure that year out of his life, or 18 months, took its toll."
McIlroy remains the world No 2 but Chandler is concerned about his gameplay.
He added: "And don't forget about Rory; he's got a lot of cash. He and Tiger have billions and the rest haven't.
"I can't imagine having a billion dollars and playing as hard as he does.
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"He looks like he is finding the game a grind. Last week, he wasn't there for it at PGA National; he wasn't there for it at Arnold Palmer; those are two nice events for him. It's worrying."
McIlroy's iron play in particular has come under fire in recent weeks.
English golfer Jamie Spence admits that something must change, telling the Sky Sports Golf podcast: "He's not with it at the moment. He is an up-and-down type player.
"He knows he's not on his game and he knows he's got some gremlins going on in his golf swing at the moment.
"I'm not his coach, he's been with the same team, they've been making the same mistakes.
"It's a sign of madness isn't it, expecting a different result from the same actions.
"You've got to change something, he's got to change something."
from GB News https://ift.tt/ZJ3X5wP
Rory McIlroy's former manager has given a brutal verdict on the star's dramatic drop in form in the last 12 months.
Chubby Chandler claims the Northern Irishman has 'sacrificed' a year of his career and is currently looking 'disinterested'.
McIlroy's long wait for a fifth major continues, with his last triumph coming at the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014.
He will head to Augusta next month as he looks to finally overcome his demons at the Masters and get his hands on the green jacket.
But McIlroy has been far from his best ahead of the first major of the year.
He won the Dubai Desert Classic in January but has struggled in the five tournaments since.
McIlroy's best performance of those five came last week at the Players Championship, where he finished tied 19th.
Chandler says the 34-year-old has been unable to bounce back from a tough 2023, claiming the year 'took its toll'.
The agent claims the likes of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus would not have allowed a year to pass them by like McIlroy has.
Chandler told BetIdeas.com: "McIlroy looks disinterested. Tiger and Nicklaus would never have sacrificed a year of their careers like he did.
"Rory looks disinterested to me. He doesn't look sharp. It looks to me at the moment that last year took an awful lot out of him, and suddenly he got let down, and he's finding it hard to get back up again.
"That's what it looks like to me. There is no spark in his eyes, no twinkle.
"You know that bouncy step he has when he's playing well, it's not there, and I'm sure that year out of his life, or 18 months, took its toll."
McIlroy remains the world No 2 but Chandler is concerned about his gameplay.
He added: "And don't forget about Rory; he's got a lot of cash. He and Tiger have billions and the rest haven't.
"I can't imagine having a billion dollars and playing as hard as he does.
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"He looks like he is finding the game a grind. Last week, he wasn't there for it at PGA National; he wasn't there for it at Arnold Palmer; those are two nice events for him. It's worrying."
McIlroy's iron play in particular has come under fire in recent weeks.
English golfer Jamie Spence admits that something must change, telling the Sky Sports Golf podcast: "He's not with it at the moment. He is an up-and-down type player.
"He knows he's not on his game and he knows he's got some gremlins going on in his golf swing at the moment.
"I'm not his coach, he's been with the same team, they've been making the same mistakes.
"It's a sign of madness isn't it, expecting a different result from the same actions.
"You've got to change something, he's got to change something."
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