Dave Alred made a name for himself working with Johnny Wilkinson on his kick. Entering the Masters for the second time in three years was one of the biggest shocks of this year's tournament. And one of the hardest to explain.
The Northern Irishman arrived in Augusta in great shape. McIlroy finished second in the world earlier in the week, having just finished third in WGC Match Play. He also sounded confident, citing his impressive final round of 64 last year which propelled him to second overall and which he said led him to brush off the Augusta demons that had been chasing him since his collapse in 2011. Bookmakers and experts agreed that the 33-year-old has every chance to finally break his duck at the Masters tournament, making McIlroy a joint favorite along with John Ram and Scotty Scheffler.
Suffice it to say that McIlroy never got a going. The first day of 70 was followed by a desperately disappointing 77 that saw him quit halfway through.
It has become a depressingly familiar tale of the heartbreak of McIlroy, who won four majors by the age of 25 but failed to win one in more than eight and a half years. But perhaps most confusingly, no one, including McIlroy, really seems to know what he's doing wrong. McIlroy hasn't spoken since he left. He refused to speak to the media after his second tour and has since walked out of RBC Heritage this week. But that only added to the noise. Technical question? Is it psychological? What else can one of the most talented players of this or any generation do to get out of his main rut?
Dave Alred, the performance coach best known for turning Johnny Wilkinson into the best rugby kicker in the world, but also famous for his work with golfers including Francesco Molinari and Luke Donald, has a few thoughts, though before moving on to them, he wants to do it absolutely. it is clear that he is not criticizing McIlroy. How could he, he says, if he doesn't know exactly what McIlroy does in private. “From the outside, it is very, very difficult to observe the preparation of a person,” he emphasizes. «I would never criticize a player if I don't know or have a detailed understanding of exactly how it works.» Alred also adds that he's not ready to coach McIlroy (though I suspect he wouldn't say no if asked).
Alred while working with English rugby player Johnny Wilkinson in 2011. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
What does he have to offer, given that he has worked for years with the likes of Wilkinson and Irish midfielder Johnny Sexton, as well as Donald, who reached world number one under his tutelage, and Molinari, who set the Ryder Cup points record? and won the Open Championship. during their joint spell is to talk about working under pressure.
For Alred, everything returns to practice. Practice correctly and the mental side will develop with it. And the “correct” Alred does not just mean working by the hour.
“Many athletes work hard,” says Alred, who wrote the book The Pressure Principle on this very topic. “They hit thousands of balls and spend hours at the shooting range. But practice should be much more focused. Let's say I do a practice round and then spend four hours at the shooting range, I work hard, right? But do I really work hard? I can work hard physically, but what is the point of my practice?”
Alred is very much from the school of tough love. He insists that training sessions be «ugly» and uncomfortable for the player. “Practice should have consequences similar to tournament golf,” he says. “In addition, goals should be dictated to the player, not negotiated with him, and the results should be recorded. Because that's what happens when you play a round of golf in a tournament, doesn't it? You are not in complete control of the situation. You don't know exactly which hand you're up against. You just have to deal with what is thrown at you. And then you must own it.”
Known for their intensity, Alred's training methods are not for everyone. And many athletes can't hack them for long. Molinari burned brightly while they were together, but after the pandemic and move to Los Angeles, the Italian dropped to 135th place in the official world golf rankings. Alred, however, is adamant that if the player is fully dedicated and willing to put in the time, it will lead to success. The hardest thing is getting an athlete to commit.
Alred while working with Open 2018 champion Francesco Molinari. Photo: Getty Images/Andrew Redington
«No one wants green bananas anymore,» he says, using another analogy. “They want quick solutions. If you tell someone that it will take a year to get real results, they will say, «Oh, I really want results by next week.»
“But these things take time. When I worked with Molinari, there were times when I could almost predict what tournament he was going to get based on data from two weeks of practice before the tournament. But it took a long time to reach this stage. It probably took a year before things really started to change. Not many people are motivated. Why should they? They are already millionaires.”
What exactly is McIlroy? He has a game that others would die for. He is as professional as they are. He no longer gambles. And he's already working with the sports psychologist at Bob Rotell. What else can he do?
Again, Alred does not claim to know exactly how McIlroy prepares. «It's very difficult to comment when you're not in that player's inner camp,» he says. «I know I've been on the other side, whether it's English rugby or whatever, and people on the side make assumptions [about what you're doing] and you think, 'You can't be further from the truth.' So I don't want to fall into that trap.
«I know [for this year's Masters] there was quite a lot of preparation because of all the implications of LIV and this massive promotion with Tiger Woods and TaylorMade. , and what the PGA does to make good players make more money.
«But in my experience, especially with most athletes, success comes down to a combination of technique and practice.
“Many people talk about the mental game, and I agree that it is really powerful. You have to have the right mindset, you have to be frontline and mentally strong.
“But that mindset has to be based on knowing what you have achieved [in practice]. And the practice must be ugly.”
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