Next month’s Masters Tournament will give Rory McIlroy another opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam, and if a rumoured practice round at Augusta National last week is anything to go by, this could be his greatest chance to date.
Despite being a red-hot favourite for the first Major Championship of the season on a number of occasions, the Northern Irishman has never managed to get over the line, with perhaps the most haunting moment of his career coming at the 2011 edition.
McIlroy entered the final round of that year’s Masters with a four-stroke lead at 12-under, but that all came crashing down over a three-hole stretch as he made the turn, carding triple bogey, bogey naddouble bogey to eliminate himself from contention in the blink of an eye.
He finished with the worst final-round score in Masters history at an eight-over 80.
Since that nightmare round, the four-time Major winner has enjoyed seven top tens from his eleven starts, including his best ever finish last year when he finished second after a magical final round 64 saw him surge up the leaderboard.
But could this be the year McIlroy finally joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods in the career Grand Slam Club?
A rumour was swirling around at the opening day of the WGC Match Play that he had only needed 19 putts during a practice round Augusta National.
McIlroy was asked about it after his opening group stage game triumph over Scott Stallings, and he certainly didn’t deny it!
Wait, how many putts did Rory have in a practice round at Augusta National last week? pic.twitter.com/CanTVhw2qD
— Golfweek (@golfweek) March 22, 2023
Could a change of gear be responsible for this magical round? McIlroy dropped his TaylorMade Spider putter in favour of a Scotty Cameron Newport at the WGC Match Play in a bid to improve his short game. He currently sits at a dismal 173rd in SG:Putting on the PGA Tour.
Whatever the reason for McIlroy’s magical round at Augusta, if he is to play like that in two weeks during the 87th staging of the Masters he will be an extremely difficult man to beat.
