"I locked myself indoors for three weeks"- Rory McIlroy opens up on what he did to improve himself during his break

Rory McIlroy endured one of the most heartbreaking losses of the entire 2024 season and of his career this year. When he squandered a late lead in the US Open, it was a crushing defeat for a player who has sought another Major for 10 years. The result after the loss was a brief hiatus for the Irishman.

He also took some time off after the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Athletes can benefit from playing consistently and getting into a rhythm, but twice this year, McIlroy has taken periods of time off to reset and come back rejuvenated.

He said ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship via ASAP Sports:

"Yeah, I sort of committed after the Dunhill that I wasn't going to watch my ball flight for three weeks. So locked myself indoors in like a swing studio for three weeks and just hit balls into a blank screen or net and just focused on my swing and focused on the movement of my swing and focused on movement of my body patterns, I guess."

McIlroy said he had a live feed on a TV to get reps in while he wasn't playing. He noted that for the last 10 days, he's started to see the ball flight and gotten more comfortable with the results.

He said of his time off:

"But I think those three weeks were important. I had not had time to sort of do that over the past 18 months. So I thought it was important to get in there and do that."

He believes this is the only way for him to make a swing change, which he has undergone recently. Over the course of his career, his swing has changed a little bit, and he's aiming to tweak it now with the time at his disposal.

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Rory McIlroy feels fresh after time off

Rory McIlroy hasn't played a golf tournament since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He's spent the last several weeks off the golf course competitively. He was asked if that allows him to feel fresh, and he confirmed that he is refreshed but also a bit rusty.

Rory McIlroy feels fresh now (Getty)

He said via ASAP Sports:

"I feel good. I've done some work on my swing that I felt like I needed to do. Still probably a ways to go. But it will be nice to test it out in competition and see how it holds up."

Rory McIlroy said it had been a long year, with this being his 26th start and a 27th coming next week. He acknowledged that a break to "reinvigorate" himself was helpful.

He added:

"It's nice to come here with motivation of trying to achieve something and give -- put all my efforts into the next two weeks, and then I can have a nice little break over the holiday period."

McIlroy's first win of the 2024 season came in the Middle East, and now he's back to potentially add another to his career tally.