Why Rory McIlroy spent a month away from golf, in a studio hitting balls against a screen?

McIlroy is seeking a triumph that would clinch a sixth yearlong Race to Dubai title, and had the sole bogey, portion helium made six birdies, including a tap-in astatine the last stop.

“It felt OK,” McIlroy was quoted arsenic saying, not feeling excessively great, but hopeful of the caller plaything doing it’s thing. “I’ve gotten comfy doing this small rehearsal earlier I instrumentality the nine back. It felt fine. I astir apt wasn’t arsenic imaginative retired there. I was hitting precise consecutive shots. I deed a mates wherever I didn’t spot the representation of what I was trying to bash with the shot formation due to the fact that I was reasoning a small excessively overmuch astir what I was doing with the swing,” helium added.

But the deficiency of upwind and the generous size of the fairways astatine Yas Links made his task easier and allowed him to absorption connected his modified swing. “I americium rather fortunate that it’s a bully week to travel back,” AP quoted him.

McIlroy, who was successful a necktie for 18th, has a immense pb successful the Race to Dubai standings and tin triumph what was formerly the Order of Merit rubric with an lawsuit to spare with a triumph successful Abu Dhabi. That would instrumentality immoderate suspense retired of the season-ending World Tour Championship successful Dubai adjacent week, according to AP. He is simply a five-time play topper successful Europe and tin necktie the precocious Seve Ballesteros with a sixth. Colin Montgomerie has a grounds eight.

“Going for my 3rd successful a row, trying to spell for six overall, it’s a beauteous meaningful happening to do,” said McIlroy. “Trying to get to Colin Montgomerie’s fig of eight, oregon possibly surpass, is decidedly a extremity successful the future. But I deliberation close present I conscionable person to absorption connected trying to get that sixth 1 and spell from there.”