Going into the 2025 Masters, Rory McIlroy is the name on many people’s lips once again as he chases that elusive career grand slam.
Every single year, the topic of conversation is around McIlroy and if he can finally get that big win he needs at Augusta National to land all four majors.
Usually, McIlroy underperforms. Indeed, since McIlroy’s meltdown in 2011, he’s only managed a single second place finish and in the main, seems to feel the pressure on his shoulders.
With that pressure ramping up again in 2025 and McIlroy in great form, the topic of conversation is going to be there again with McIlroy and The Masters.
And according to Brandel Chamblee, McIlroy’s relationship with the actual golf course is as interesting as any other talking point.
Rory McIlroy told why Augusta National ‘hates’ him
Asked about McIlroy’s relationship with Augusta National, Chamblee was asked the question about if the course loves or hates the Northern Irishman.
And for Chamblee, there is only one answer.
“Hates him,” Chamblee replied quickly. “It is testament to how talented Rory is that he has acquired a very good record here. It’s not a great record but a very good record. But he annually underperforms on this golf course. In his career he has averaged hitting right at 42 greens in regulation per week. That is underperforming his statistics on the PGA Tour, but quite a bit underperforming against what it takes to win around here. The winners on average are around 52 greens a week. You are talking two in change a day that he is missing the mark by.
“It is very important to get off to a good start there, so you have to be in a good place mentally. If you go back 25 years, going back to 2000 after the first round, you literally just look at the first page of the leaderboard and the winner is coming from that. The average position is 6.6. After two rounds the average position of the eventually winner is 3.2. After 54 rounds it is 1.6. So if you are not in a good position after round one, you just cannot overcome it.
“So you go and look at what Rory has done in the last six times he has played here in the first round and his rounds are 71, 72, 73, 76, 75, 73.”
- READ MORE: Shocked Phil Mickelson simply cannot describe what Patrick Reed did at LIV Golf Miami on opening day
Brandel Chamblee explains the difference between Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth’s Grand Slam attempts
Of course, Rory McIlroy is not the only player chasing a career Grand Slam.
Jordan Spieth is another who wants just the PGA Championship to complete the haul.
However, according to Chamblee, the pressure on Spieth is much different to that which McIlroy experiences at Augusta.
“To me every shot will have a technological and psychological aspect to it. Rory comes here and I would argue that nobody in golf faces as much pressure annually as Rory does at Augusta National. Nobody anywhere, anytime, all year will face as much pressure as Rory does arriving at Augusta National,” Chamblee continued.
“It is different to Jordan Spieth trying to win the PGA Championship because Jordan Spieth’s game has fallen off so much that people don’t look at him as an inevitable Grand Slam winner. If it happens it’s going to be like lightning out of the blue. But Rory is so good and so consistent and his game hasn’t fallen off, there is an inevitability to what he is on the cusp of doing.
“At first glance people look at the course and think it perfectly suits him but it doesn’t. Rory’s swing, as he has aged, has gotten flatter and gotten more of a draw to it. It is harder for him to hit the necessary fades off the fairways that he needs to do to hit the number of greens that he needs to hit. And it’s very easy for Scottie Scheffler to do it. Scottie is in a place where he can work the ball comfortable left to right and right to left. It’s not as easy for Rory. Not from a technical aspect or a mental aspect.”
With Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy two of the big favourites, Chamblee believes Scheffler would come out on top if it came to it.
However, McIlroy is in fine form and if ever there was a year to win it, it feels like it’s now.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
