Putting was one of Rory McIlroy’s greatest strengths in 2025.
His prowess on the green allowed McIlroy to complete the career Grand Slam at The Masters and win an away Ryder Cup in New York, in what was perhaps the greatest year of the Northern Irishman’s career.
But McIlroy has endured his fair share of putting struggles. He’s missed costly putts, most notably a three-footer at the US Open to lose the major to Bryson DeChambeau. From 2016 to 2018, McIlroy lost strokes to the field with his putting.
He has since worked with legendary putting coach Brad Faxon, who has turned McIlroy into one of the best putters on the planet. But there’s only so much Faxon can teach him about technique. To work on the mental side of his putting game, McIlroy turned to an unlikely source: Wayne Rooney.
How Wayne Rooney helped Rory McIlroy with his putting
McIlroy, speaking to reporters in 2018, said that Faxon told him to look at other sports in order to build the right mentality. His American coach tried to relate putting to free-throw shooting in basketball, but McIlroy ended up learning from Rooney’s penalty-taking.
He explained: “We were talking about different sports. Brad was talking about a free-throw shooter in basketball, or he was trying to say even something you relate it to with football back home or whatever.
“We’re talking about triggers and how do you start your putting stroke – everyone has different ways to start their swings or strokes.
“And I said Rooney, before he hits a free-kick or before he hits a penalty, he taps his toe on the ground before he actually starts his run-up. And I sort of noticed it when I shot a Nike commercial with him a few years ago.”
Faxon often talks about paralysis by analysis on the putting green and stresses the importance of not overthinking putts. Establishing a routine prevents players from overanalyzing the mechanics of what they’re about to do, and that’s what McIlroy learned from Rooney.
Why Wayne Rooney ‘exhausted’ Rory McIlroy
McIlroy is a lifelong Manchester United fan, and therefore a huge supporter of United legend Rooney.
He once made an appearance on Gary Neville’s Stick to Football podcast and took the opportunity to sing the Englishman’s praises.
McIlroy said, “I loved (Wayne) Rooney, he just worked so hard and he’d run everywhere, and you just felt exhausted after watching him for 90 minutes.
“To be that good, but also to have that work ethic and track back when someone loses the ball, or if you lose it. To me, he just looked like he loved football, and I loved watching him play.
“It’s amazing to think that, all the great stuff that he’s done, you would say like under-appreciated in some way.”
It’s amazing that someone of the quality of Rooney can be underappreciated in the pantheon of footballing greats, but McIlroy raises a fair point. At least his efforts for United haven’t gone unnoticed by the Masters champion!
