Try as we may, it is impossible not to wonder if this year will be the year Rory McIlroy finally completes the career grand slam by winning The Masters.
It is hard to imagine that there would be a moment more satisfying in Rory McIlroy‘s career than if he was able to win The Masters later this month. The Northern Irishman has been a triumph at Augusta National away from completing the career grand slam for more than a decade now.
Meanwhile, his wait to win a fifth major began in 2014. And there is no question that it would be hugely disappointing if McIlroy added his name to the list of all-time greats who never won The Masters.
But he is definitely doing all he can in the build-up to the first major of the year.
The ‘huge’ change Rory McIlroy has made which may boost his Masters hopes
McIlroy has won both the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship. It is the first time in his career that he has won twice on the PGA Tour before the start of April.
But clearly, talent is only part of the battle when it comes to taking on Augusta. McIlroy has never really been in contention to win The Masters down the stretch on Sunday.
However, speaking on Sliced, Paul McGinley believes that McIlroy has made some really smart decisions over the last few years which are only going to boost his chances of finally getting across the line.
“He’s gone in on really good form the last couple of years, certainly his practice rounds as well, he was absolutely flying and flattered to deceive. Dealing with the pressure and the expectation is huge for him. I think the addition in the last few years of both Brad Faxon and Bob Rotella to his team has been huge, and both of them are aligned with the way he plays the game. They’re aligned to him as a person in what they teach. And I think they will certainly give him the best chance they can of doing it,” he said.
“But the pressure is on him now, a, in not having won a major in 11 years, and b, trying to complete the grand slam is huge. And part of me thinks that he needs to win another major before he can go and complete the grand slam. But maybe I’m wrong, maybe this is going to be the year. Maybe it is. Not alone is Rory playing well this year, two big wins in huge events and also a win at the end of the year in Dubai and a lot of top 10s, but what’s really buoyed about it is a lot of the top players are not on form.”
What McIlroy felt his game lacked at the 2024 Masters after missing on finishing in the top 20
McIlroy definitely has the tools to win The Masters. However, the last couple of years must have been particularly frustrating after he missed the cut in 2023 and finished outside the top 20 the following year.
And following that underwhelming result in 2024, McIlroy was asked what he felt was missing from his game.
“Just a little bit of control, I think, with the ball-striking, especially in those sorts of winds. It really exposes any weaknesses that you may have. That Friday definitely exposed a few things,” he said.
“As the golf course changes here, you just have to be so precise, and I wasn’t quite precise enough this week.”
Interestingly, McIlroy appears to have added shots to his game. It was extremely impressive how he was manipulating shots at TPC Sawgrass.
It certainly appeared to be a sign that he already had Georgia on his mind.
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