The waiting time is long.
After the final putt at the British Open in July, it will be a long nine months before the next major championship begins.
That was the Masters in April of the following year.
That wait seems long, and it’s even longer for some players chasing important firsts in their respective careers.
Rory McIlroy is at the front of that line. Yes, he won four major championships (in four years), but not one in 10 years. He is on record as saying that it’s been so long that every time he wins next time, he’ll feel like it’s the first time.
McIlroy is also aiming for his first career Masters win. McIlroy has won each of the other three majors, making him a lifetime Grand Slam winner when he dons the green jacket, something only five of the all-time greats have achieved. is especially important.
Even though he is only 34 years old, the pressure is increasing and weighing on him.
Since McIlroy last won a major, he has played in 36 majors, including three runner-up finishes, 10 top-five finishes and 20 top-10 finishes.
Star players such as Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele were also born. Both players have won multiple events on the PGA Tour and competed in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, but are still searching for their first major.
Fowler will play in the Masters this week for the first time since 2020, having fallen significantly in the world rankings. He has not won a total of 49 games in the major leagues, and is a strong candidate for the title of “the most accomplished player without a major league victory.”
Schauffele will play his 27th career major this week at Augusta, but he is ranked No. 5 in the world and is hungry.
Do you think there is a problem? Cameron Young is a player who hasn’t won a major yet, but he is a star player who has been on the rise since getting his PGA Tour card in 2022.
Young has accomplished a lot since joining the tour, rising high enough in the rankings to qualify for every major tournament, finishing third at the PGA in 2022 and runner-up at the British Open last year. He also played on the Presidents Cup championship team and was the highest-ranked player to leave the Ryder Cup team last fall.
But what Young has yet to accomplish is win on the PGA Tour. He has no wins in 60 PGA Tour tournaments, but his seven runner-up finishes are tied for the most by a player who has never won a tournament in the past 40 years.
“I definitely let my feelings take over at times,” Young said of not winning on the eve of his most recent runner-up at Valspar last month.
To be fair to Young, he has never lost a 54-hole lead in those seven runner-up finishes, and his six runner-up finishes in stroke play have averaged a score of 67.5.
Young’s father and coach, David, told the Post in December 2022: “He has come so close…sooner or later, he believes it’s just a matter of time before that week is his. “I’m doing it,” he said. You don’t have to end it, get over it and stick with him. It’s a burden to be here. Until he starts winning, he doesn’t really feel like he’s part of the upper echelon. ”
All of these players, and others, will be carrying something heavy as they play in this week’s Masters. All golfers, no matter how much they’ve accomplished, are forever chasing the next thing.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot, but I don’t feel like I’ve done everything,” Schauffele told the Post last week. “But in terms of goals, it’s pretty high on the chart for me.” [is] To win a major. Yes, there’s added pressure. You realize that you want something very much. When he’s playing well, he gets pretty close. ”
Schauffele, who has seven wins on the PGA Tour, has finished in the top 10 on 11 occasions and in the top six on seven occasions. So he’s no stranger to dealing with the pressure of a major championship. But he’s not immune to the pressure that a week like the Masters brings.
“We haven’t won in years,” Schauffele said. “But I know I’m going to win, and if I win, I could potentially rattle off a bunch of guys because I’m having more fun than anyone else. What I’m doing When I’m having fun, I’m able to excel and I don’t think anything will stop me from winning a major one day.”
