Rory McIlroy's big defeat to Ian Poulter makes size of task facing him and Pete Cowen clear

[ASFN Admin]

When your ball finds water on a par four not featuring any lakes, rivers or creeks you just know you have issues. So it was for Rory McIlroy on the first day of the WGC Dell Match Play, where he drove out of bounds into a resident’s swimming pool on his way to a 6&5 dousing by Ian Poulter. Back at his Rotherham academy, watching on TV, Pete Cowen, McIlroy’s new coach, witnessed the full scale of his challenge to resurrect the form of the Northern Irishman for the Masters in two weeks’ time. Let’s just say that when McIlroy’s wild hook on the fifth bounced off a cart path over a fence and into the deep end - sunk below an inflatable, just a few metres from the underwater hoops - Cowen will have realised the task is Olympic-sized. The two-way miss is certainly still at large despite Cowen’s intensive work with McIlroy last week in Florida after the four-time major-winner decided radical action was required and so brought in the renowned Yorkshireman over and above Michael Bannon, the Co Down instructor who had overseen McIlroy’s swing since he was eight. There were a few pushes interspersed with the plethora of pulls at Austin Country Club and McIlroy genuinely did look like a golfer unsure in which direction his ball would disappear next. His short-game was better but also off-key, with a three-putt from 14-feet on the fourth and a chip on to the green and across into the water on the decisive 13th. The Rory rebuild: Pete Cowen’s to-do list with McIlroy - but will it work? It was an ignominious beginning to the championship McIlroy won six years ago and it is one that will always be remembered for that comical picture of his chlorinated TaylorMade TP5x. That particular aberration took McIlroy three down against his Ryder Cup team-mate and although he came briefly up for air by pulling it back to one-under through eight, Poulter clinically pushed him back under, reeling off six winning holes in succession to inflict on the world No 11 the second biggest matchplay loss of his professional career. Credit to Poulter, the 45-year-old who is also a previous WGC Match Play champion - as poor as his opponent was, Poulter was excellent, with six birdies and an eagle in those 13 holes. The highlight was the supreme four-iron from 259 yards to six feet on the par-five 12th. When a golf superstar is feeling vulnerable, the last thing he needs is Poulter on his case, particularly in the format he adores.

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