Tiger Woods says when not if Rory McIlroy squashes Masters demon, earns Grand Slam

Tiger Woods, who has five green jackets to his name, feels Rory McIlroy will one day earn his own.

The Northern Irishman has come close many times at Augusta National, but never more so than in 2011. That year, McIlroy, a 21-year-old with no experience in the majors, entered the final round with a four-stroke lead.

But he collapsed. He duck-hooked his tee shot wide on the par-4 10th and his chances almost ended there. McIlroy entered the final round of 80 and finished tied for 15th place. However, she bounced back strongly at her next major tournament, the US Open Congressional, and won by eight points.

Since then, McIlroy has won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in 2012, the British Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014, and the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

But since then, he hasn’t been able to get his hands on a green jacket.

“Rory is too talented, too good. He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time. I’m sure he’ll make it,” Woods said Tuesday.

“It’s a matter of when. But yes, I think Rory will be a great Masters champion someday, and it could be this week. You never know. Again, his talent , the way he plays and how the golf course suits his eyes, I think it’s just a matter of time.”

Before missing out on last year’s cut, McIlroy had seven top-10 finishes since 2014, including a lone second place in 2022.

McIlroy has been playing much more this year than usual, recently finishing third at the Valero Texas Open, his final warm-up before the Masters.

“I think it would have been beneficial to play a little bit more this year, and that translates into not only this tournament, but the spring and summer,” McIlroy said.

“I think I’m starting to understand a little bit more where my game is, where my mistakes are, and how I play.” [fix them]. If you play a lot, you’ll learn how to manage the game a little better than if you haven’t played much and are a little rusty. ”

McIlroy has struggled with his approach so far in 2024, often missing short irons and wedges with his left, and often missing with his right. McIlroy ranked eighth on the PGA Tour last year in stroke gain approaching the green. He is currently ranked 64th this year.

This helps explain why he recently visited famed swing coach Butch Harmon in Las Vegas.

Photo by Andrew Reddington/Getty Images

“I hit the ball better than I usually do when I come,” McIlroy said of the visit.

“It was a really beneficial outing for me technically. I think I made progress in that area last week, especially my strokes gained approach numbers, which is what I really wanted to do.”

If McIlroy really improves his wedge and iron play, he could win his first green jacket and become just the sixth player in history to complete a Grand Slam. It will also be a historic event that, like 1986 and 2019, will be remembered forever by golfers, fans and pundits.

Best of all, if he continues to win, McIlroy could return to Augusta for good.

“That’s flattering. In my opinion, it’s nice to hear the greatest player to ever play this game say something like that,” McIlroy said of Woods’ comments.

“Does that mean it’s going to happen? Obviously not. But he’s been in the game long enough to know that I at least have a chance of doing it. There’s a chance that I can do it too. I know there is. It’s not like I haven’t been a very good player over the last couple of decades. But yeah, it’s nice to hear that come out of his mouth.”

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.