Brad Faxon shares the game-changing putting technique that helped Rory Mcllroy earn his latest victory

Rory McIlroy celebrated a remarkable victory at the Dubai Desert Classic, defending the title with a one-stroke margin. This win held special significance as Mcllroy's coach, Brad Faxon, changed his putter, proving beneficial for the Northern Irish professional golfer's performance on the greens.

During an appearance on Sirius XM's Michael Breed show, Faxon disclosed that Rory McIlroy's caddie, Harry Diamond, had asked him to tweak McIlroy's putting technique for his short game.

Faxon elaborated on how the 34-year-old golfer had been struggling with the positioning of his putter's head, which tended to be lower through the ball. Faxon said (via Golf.com):

“We always talk about how important center[face] contact is, but it’s really important on a putter as well. Rory’s had great feelings in the past of feeling like his putter head stays lower through the ball, rather than coming up higher.”

Furthermore, Faxon revealed how he sent a shallow face, a TaylorMade Spider mallet putter for McIloy’s weekend game. The said equipment helped the golfer to emphasize more on the lower face while he played his short game. He added:

“I rarely send something to any player during a tournament, but that was something I thought was going to help him — since Diamond mentioned [McIlroy] had missed a couple shorter putts.”

Following the adjustments to his putter for the final two days of the Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy also acknowledged that his putting performance had significantly improved.

“It was a familiar thought and a familiar feel. I definitely felt like I putted a bit better on the weekend.”

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A sneak peek into Rory McIlroy’s game in the 2024 season

Rory McIlroy aimed to elevate his 2024 season, intending to compete and practice extensively leading up to the Masters Tournament in April. He has already delivered two impressive performances in the events he participated in.

The 24-time PGA Tour winner commenced his season at the Dubai Invitational, maintaining his lead in the first two rounds. Unfortunately, his performance waned during the weekend rounds and he ultimately finished T2, one stroke behind Tommy Fleetwood, at the Dubai Creek Resort.

McIlroy also competed in the Dubai Desert Classic last week. Despite a challenging start that placed him 10 strokes behind on the leaderboard, he improved significantly as the tournament progressed. The Northern Irishman delivered a more solid performance over the weekend.

Rory McIlroy concluded the tournament with a remarkable 70-under-par round and finished the event at 14-under-par. This impressive performance enabled him to successfully defend his title, securing a one-stroke victory over Adrain Meronk and Cameron Young.