AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s been almost 10 years.
It’s been a long, exhausting, at times heartbreaking and infuriating decade for Rory McIlroy, but it probably felt like 20 years. He’s tried everything to win the Masters and change his fortunes, and he’s tried everything but riding a horse at Magnolia Lane.
And until the 34-year-old Northern Irishman wins the green jacket, there will be an elephant in every room he enters. Because Augusta National was apparently built for his game.
And he’s due. Humans have that obligation.
McIlroy needs to win the Masters to become the sixth player in the history of the sport to complete a career Grand Slam. His resume already includes appearances at the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
The only thing missing is the green jacket and nameplate on the locker in the Augusta National Champions’ locker room. This week marks McIlroy’s 10th attempt at a career slam at Augusta.
Will you finally do it this week? who knows?
Will that ever happen given the mounting pressure?
“I’m sure he’ll do it someday,” five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods said Tuesday. “Rory is too talented, too good. He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time. He’ll make it. It’s just a matter of when. Rory will be a great Masters champion someday. I think it will be, and it could be this week.”
It was music to McIlroy’s ears when he heard Woods’ evaluation.
“It’s an honor,” McIlroy said. “In my opinion, it’s nice to hear the greatest player to ever play this game say something like that. … Does that mean it will happen? Obviously not.
“But he’s been in the game long enough to know that I at least have the potential to do it. I know I have the potential to do it too. It’s not that he wasn’t a very good player.”
McIlroy did a few things to shake up his preparation for the Masters.
First and foremost, he traveled to Las Vegas to visit famous swing coach Butch Harmon. Butch Harmon, among others, helped Woods become a star early in his career.
“He’s kind of a psychologist and a swing coach in a way,” McIlroy said. “I always joke that you spend four hours with Butch and leave with two swing tips and 30 stories, but you always hit the ball better than when you came in.”
McIlroy turned to Harmon, who was struggling with two-way misses, trying to find a way to right himself more consistently.
“It’s been a really informative journey technically,” he said. “But it’s also about spending time around someone like that who’s coached a lot of the best players in the world, and he kind of blesses things, and I think that’s a great validation as well. .”
McIlroy also changed his recent preparation by playing the week before the Masters.
He finished third at last week’s Valero Texas Open, but never really competed for the championship.
Golf Channel and NBC analyst Brandel Chamblee spoke of a “pattern” between McIlroy and the Masters.
“Every time, he seems to play his worst golf when it matters most,” Chamblee said. “In his last five Masters, his average score in the first round was 73.8. That speaks to not being in the right place mentally. But…when he did manage to get into a good position… , for example, in 2018, when he took second place after 54 holes, he shot a 74 on Saturday. In 2016, when he took second place after 36 holes, he shot a 77 on Saturday.
“He plays his best when it means the least and his worst when it means the most. Now, you can dig into the reasons why and parse out the technical reasons, but more The big picture is that it’s just a mental thing. For him to get over that hurdle and try to become the sixth Grand Slam winner, mentally he’s the most successful player in the Masters. I think it’s fascinating.”
McIlroy said one of his goals this week was to “not try to win from the first tee shot.”
He also emphasizes trying to have more fun as a way to relax himself.
“If I were driving down Magnolia Lane for the first time, thinking about 18-year-old Rory, how would I feel and think? [and] I’m just trying to get back to feeling grateful and incredibly lucky to be in this tournament and to be able to play every year,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I have all the tools to be successful this week. But again, one of the most important things to bring those tools to the table is to have fun with it and take advantage of the roses along the way.” I don’t think it’s a rhododendron or azalea, but I think it’s a matter of smelling it.”
