Angel Ayora spent the PGA Championship week in May observing Rory McIlroy closely on the practice range. He has always described himself as a low-ball hitter, the kind of player who keeps his driver flights flat and penetrating through the wind. But at Aronimink Golf Club, he watched a six-time major champion’s ball climb into the Pennsylvania sky with a trajectory. Although they did not play together during the tournament, Ayora took note.
Two months later, at the DS Automobiles 83° Open d’Italia, the Spaniard sits at 13 under through 36 holes, his ball flight noticeably higher than when he first joined the DP World Tour. And he has now explained exactly why.
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“Yeah, absolutely. Actually, at the PGA Championship, practising with Rory, I noticed that that ball is, you have to go high with it, because sometimes here in these courses, it’s very good to have it high, because you have to carry over some trees and some bunkers, so, I mean, I hit, my stock shot is not that low, it’s medium low, but it’s quite easy for me to hit it high also, so, I’m playing with that ball. Yeah, it’s going miles.”
Ayora could very well be the reason for the heat in Northern Italy as he continues to impress everyone with his driving. Currently, he is third on DPWT with +0.78 for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. But he is not just ending his game at the accuracy. His average driving distance is 314 yards at the Italian Open, which places him fifth in the field. And it all came down to not hearing McIlroy but simply watching and learning.
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Aronimink Golf Club hosted the 2026 PGA Championship from May 14 through May 17, and it marked Ayora’s first appearance in a major. Tournament-week practice rounds happen before Thursday’s opening tee shot, which is where the two players crossed paths. McIlroy advanced through the cut and finished tied for seventh at four under, while Ayora missed the cut by two strokes after a back-nine collapse.
McIlroy did not share any actual advice with Ayora. What happened was simpler: a 21-year-old watched a legend playing and decided to make that ball flight his own.McIlroy’s high ball flight off the tee is not an accident. It is built into his swing mechanics and helps him maximize carry distance on courses that demand clearing trouble rather than rolling through it.
A higher shot carries bunkers that swallow lower ones, and it clears trees that would otherwise force a layup or a punch-out. His stock shot remains medium-low, the same foundation he built his game on, but he can now summon a high cut whenever the hole demands it. The proof sits on the leaderboard in Turin, where his opening rounds of 66 and 63 have him sitting two shots back of the lead through 36 holes.
A handful of hours practicing next to McIlroy has reshaped a small but meaningful piece of Ayora’s game. The trajectory is still evolving round by round, but it has already become a real part of his arsenal rather than an experiment. Turin will decide what it’s worth this week. The rest of his second DP World Tour season will decide what it’s worth long-term.
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