Reasons Why Rory McIlroy Battling a Decade-Long Major Drought: Ex Swing Coach Cowen

Rory McIlroy, once a dominant force in golf, clinched four major titles between 2011 and 2014, with his last victory at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. However, as of 2024, McIlroy has yet to secure another major win. When he competes in the 2025 Masters at Augusta, it will have been 3,531 days since his last major triumph.

Several factors have been cited by golf fans as reasons for McIlroy’s struggles in recent years, including his caddie Harry Diamond, his putting, and his mental game. On Wednesday, McIlroy’s former swing coach, Pete Cowen, suggested that McIlroy’s main challenge is psychological.

“The longer the time span is between majors, the harder it gets,” Cowen told Ben Parsons of Bunkered.co.uk. “It’s like winning again, you’ve got to start again almost, reset. That’s the problem with him. They put so much pressure on him winning the Masters and the Grand Slam… These guys are so good, so most of it is down to the mental side of the game. Expectations come into it.”

Cowen, who coached McIlroy briefly in 2021, believes McIlroy has the ability to win the Masters and achieve the career Grand Slam. However, he also acknowledges the difference between potential and reality.

“If I had to put money on it, I’d say yes, but golf’s a funny game,” Cowen said. “You get a good break and all of a sudden you could win two or three in a row like Xander, but it gets harder… It’s a smaller stage. As the stage gets higher, the more difficult and the more stage fright you get. You’ve got to look at it and say when the stage gets that high, like on a major because that’s the highest stage he can hit, sometimes you get a bit of stage fright. Everybody does.”

With the 2024 major season concluded, McIlroy now turns his attention to representing Ireland in the upcoming Paris Olympics.