Arguably the biggest question going into The Masters this year is is Rory McIlroy now ready to finally win that fifth major and complete the career grand slam in the process?
Obviously, the pressure has been on Rory McIlroy every year at The Masters for more than a decade now. In fact, you could say that it goes back to 2012 after he imploded on the back nine on Sunday the previous year.
McIlroy has gone into The Masters in all kinds of form; he has tried so many different ways to prepare for Augusta National. And in truth, the 35-year-old has never really got that close to winning that elusive green jacket.
He finished second in 2022 without ever threatening to catching Scottie Scheffler. And it is surprising just how often McIlroy seems to take himself out of the tournament even before the weekend.
The four reasons Rory McIlroy looks ready to win The Masters
But, perhaps naively, there appears to be something different about 2025. McIlroy has won twice on the PGA Tour – the first time he has managed before April in his entire career – while he appears to have added shots to his game specifically for Augusta.
And speaking on 5 Clubs, Paul McGinley explained the four reasons why he cannot stop himself from being optimistic for McIlroy this week.
“I do think there’s a number of things that are working in his favour here. I know we come out with them every year, with reasons why he’s going to win. I think a couple of things; the first thing I’ll say is the fact that he won with his B game and can now compete and win without playing his very best golf as we saw on Sawgrass where he was ranked 10 or nine in ball-striking, which is unusual for him when he wins a tournament, particularly one of that size. And yet, he still wins. That’s unusual; so something Tiger and Nicklaus were great at was their ability to win with their B game, and I think Rory has got that now, and he’s got the validation of it mentally having seen what he did at Sawgrass. So that’s the first thing, that gives you confidence, knowing that, ‘oh boy, I don’t have to be really on my game in order to win here’. And you walk in with a little bit of an air of confidence, because it takes a bit of pressure off the fact that your game has to be finely tuned,” he said.
“Secondly, obviously the fact that he has two wins, that’s going to give him a lot of confidence. Thirdly, the fact that he’s tried so many ways of trying to approach The Masters, and I think he’s honing in on what’s going to suit him best.
“And the last point I’ll make is what I think is a huge one, is Bob Rotella on his shoulders, I think he’s a huge influence on him. I think he’s a hugely positive influence on him. I think they’ve sat down, they’ve analysed Scottie Scheffler a lot and what Scottie has done – Rory has moulded a little bit in that direction and how he’s played the game, given himself a more rounded game. He’s a better wedge player, he’s a better putter, he seems to be playing more freely with a smile on his face. But he’s also got an edge about him, and I think Rory’s at his best when he’s got an edge and he’s out there to prove a point. So I think all of those factors would give me reason to think you know what, this could be his year. But a lot of things have to go his way, winning tournaments is not just about playing great.”
Why Rory McIlroy needs to break from tradition on Thursday at Augusta National
The good news for fans of McIlroy’s is that it should become clear fairly quickly whether he is in contention to win this time around.
It is so important to get off to a fast start on Thursday. While you do not need to be at the right of the top of the leaderboard from the start, it is rare in the current era that the champion comes from nowhere later on in the week.
McIlroy has historically not started well at The Masters, with just two opening rounds in the 60s. Those came in 2011 when he had a four-shot lead with 18 holes to play, and 2018 when he was in the final group on Sunday with Patrick Reed.
Anything which breaks 70 on Thursday will probably do McIlroy’s belief the world of good, and more importantly, ensure that he is in the mix for the rest of the tournament.
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