McIlroy and Nike - not such a perfect match?

 

Eight holes into round two of the Honda Classic, World Number One Rory McIlroy has withdrawn citing inability to concentrate due to toothache as the reason.  Immediately the speculation surrounding his slump in form has returned with many critics claiming that it must be his new Nike equipment.  This is no surprise, it was always going to take a while to get used to his new clubs and no amount of range time will really replicate Tournament conditions.  However, with the Masters just around the corner McIlroy needs to get used to Nike, and fast.    

If he fails to ever get to grips with the new sticks (an unlikely scenario) McIlroy will join a long list of people who have changed their equipment and/or game in an attempt to improve and have done the opposite.  David Duval springs to mind; the former Number One, fresh off his victory in the 2001 Open decided he needed to bulk up in order to fully assert his dominance and subsequently slipped outside the top 400 in the world. 

While it is still early days, criticisms of McIlroy and his equipment change are in full throttle but if we recall, similar criticisms were brandished around this time last year and McIlroy bounced back to win a second Major and two of the four FedEx cup playoff events.  Despite the turnaround of last year, it is hard to overlook the fact that McIlroy is 17 over par for the 80 holes he has completed and his Tournament summary reads; MC R1 (Matchplay) and WD. 

Testimony to the unpredictability of the Ulster Star is that he is 3-1 odds to MC at Augusta whilst also being 6-1 favourite to claim a Green Jacket.  Does anybody else see the irony of bookies hedging their bets?  McIlroy is in desperate need of a confidence booster before the opening Major and is expected to increase his schedule load so he has more tournament action in an attempt to try and find some form. 

McIlroy would dearly love to prove his critics wrong as he has done in the past few years.  Last year, his relationship with Wozniacki was cited as the cause of the slump and this year his equipment change (a slightly more likely cause) is to blame, however it seems they are unprepared to accept that while being a semi-god on the golf course, he is in fact human and is capable of error and form slumps.  Golfing columnists have used the fact that he has missed 6 cuts in two years as a negative point, whilst some players would be happy to make 6 cuts in that time! 

McIlroy will return, he will win more Majors and perhaps even more likely than that he will miss cuts, putts and trophies because he is only a golfer after all.  It might help if critics would remember that sometimes.