Paul McGinley suggests Rory McIlroy has been given news which is not ideal after Masters announcement

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Rory McIlroy begins another week at The Masters on Thursday, where again he is looking to complete the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy has been tipped to win The Masters, which returns to the iconic Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia.

The Northern Irishman has won four major championships in his career, but none have come at The Masters.

Moreover, over a decade has now passed since his last win, but McIlroy does have two PGA Tour titles to his name in 2025 already.

Having won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship, McIlroy now turns his focus to the 2025 Masters.

Paul McGinley says Rory McIlroy’s Masters tee-time is not ideal

But Irishman Paul McGinley believes the world number two has been handed news that is not ideal before the action has even got underway.

Discussing McIlroy’s day one and day two pairings with Akshay Bhatia and Ludvig Aberg, McGinley said on Sky Sports: “I don’t think who he plays with is a problem here, or an issue.

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“He would be more concerned about whether he is playing morning or afternoon. I think that he is playing afternoon is not ideal.

“I would prefer to see him going out early. There is a good chance that the scoring in the morning will be better.

“What he has struggled with over the years is really poor first and second round scoring around Augusta. Getting out of the blocks is something that he needs to do if he is going to contend this Masters.

“He has been really poor out of them. He has had six top 10s in the last 10 or 11 Masters but has been coming from behind to do that.

“So it’s going to be difficult to do, because he is going to play now in the afternoon and then have a short sleep and is back up again to go early morning.

“It is not ideal. It’s not a mega thing but in an ideal world he would have chosen an early late, starting time.”

What are Rory McIlroy’s round one and two Masters tee times?

McIlroy should at least feel comfortable enough alongside Aberg, with the pair having helped Europe win the 2023 Ryder Cup.

But McGinley clearly feels the tee-times could be a real problem for McIlroy, who has constantly fallen short at Augusta.

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He is scheduled to start his first round of The Masters at 1.12pm eastern time (6.12pm UK time), and his second at 9.58am eastern time (2:58pm UK time).

As McGinley mentioned, it shouldn’t be a massive problem for the hugely experienced McIlroy, but it is something he must add to his plate, which is already very full as The Masters approaches.