Ten years ago, Rory McIlroy won his third major title by winning the 2014 British Open Championship. Less than a month later, he won his second PGA Championship. At the time, the 25-year-old was believed to be on a fast-rising trajectory towards Tiger Woods country.
But here we go into the 2024 season, and for McIlroy, he still only has four major trophies under his belt.
He is also still looking for his first green jacket at the Masters, which would give him a career Grand Slam.
The Northern Irishman missed out on qualifying for the 2023 Masters, but decided to switch up his preparation this time around.
mcilroy will play At the Valero Texas Open, a PGA Tour event held the week before Augusta National.
In fact, he will be Added some tournaments to suit his schedule.
“This year…I'm going to play more before the Masters. This will be my ninth or 10th event this year. It used to be my sixth or seventh. I'm going to be a little more sharp and know exactly where my game is. I want to be able to figure it out,'' McIlroy told Golf Digest.
The four-time major champion has been hot and cold throughout his Masters career. There is one runner-up in 2022, when Scottie Scheffler won the Green Jacket, as well as three other top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes.
However, he has had some really disappointing results at Augusta National. That includes three years ago, when McIlroy last played in the Valero Texas Open and missed the cut.
It was the first time he played in that event since 2013. So he clearly wants to change things up and hopefully find his groove.
Do you think McIlroy will be in contention for a championship this year? Do you think he will one day complete his career Grand Slam? Let us know in the comments below.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation's Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms.
