BUT NO, SERIOUSLY, this might just be Rory’s year at Augusta.
Okay, the Masters – and, indeed, any major at the moment – is ultimately a mental battle for McIlroy, and he will only be able to prove he can meet that challenge on the day.
Previewing his Augusta prospects therefore needs the above disclaimer before moving onto his form and the shape of his game. Here lies the good news. Today’s epilogue play-off win against JJ Spaun at the Players Championship shows things are looking very healthy indeed.
Let’s apply the caveats.
McIlroy won this morning but had chances to win it in regulation yesterday, but played the final five holes in one-over to leave the door open for Spaun, who was another two revolutions of a golf ball from draining a putt to win on 18 last night. There’s also the sad sight of the LIV-diluted of the field at a truly great event, while two of the Tour’s remaining heavyweight contenders – Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele – are still toiling off the back of off-season injuries.
But don’t let all of this cold realism shatter whatever warm, Rory-at-Augusta thoughts to which you’re still clinging after all these years.
Any win at tournament this big is significant, of course. But where this victory would have been instantly transformative for JJ Spaun, we are parsing it for clues as to what it might mean for the few potentially transformative wins left in McIlroy’s career.
“By no means did I have my best stuff this week, but I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world,” said McIlroy after his victory. “That’s a huge thing.”
It’s a huge thing in the context of Major Season. McIlroy won at Sawgrass despite the fact he struggled off the tee by his own standards, and could rely on the parts of his game with which he struggled going into the Masters last year.
He was a shot off the lead after his first round on Thursday, having found more birdies than fairways. McIlroy’s superpower is his driver, and yet he pushed himself into contention at Sawgrass having ranked 108th in strokes gained off the tee. That improved over the week, but still he ranked 29th off the tee across the full week. By contrast, McIlroy ranked ninth in putting and third in approach play.
Take a step back and consider the transformation. A year ago, McIlroy was humming off the tee and more than solid on the greens, but crumbling in between.
At Bay Hill last year, immediately prior t0 last year’s Players, McIlroy led the field in driving stats for the third-straight week. He ranked second-last in approach play, however, and lamented the issues with his wedges and short irons, struggling with what he called a “left miss.”
He bolted to Butch Harmon for some emergency surgery before the Masters, who worked with him to take some of the height off his wedges. The lessons didn’t sink in quickly enough, and McIlroy’s challenge was ended on the 11th hole on Friday, when he threw a wedge high in the air and watched the wind carry it left into the water.
A year on, though, McIlroy has flipped everything on its head.
The key shot in beating Spaun at Sawgrass was his nine-iron to the island 17th green. McIlroy’s killing the ball dead on the green through the brutal whips of the wind was a clinic of distance and spin control. Spaun, meanwhile, flew the green and went plunk with an eight iron he struck so well that he spoke with a perverse pride of it after it was all over.
“It was a great shot,” said Spaun. “It was probably six, seven feet left of the pin, just perfect if it was the right distance. I couldn’t believe it was long. It just wasn’t my luck of the gust, I guess.”
Spaun had the quality to hit a great shot; McIlroy had the range to hit the right shot.
That range has raised McIlroy’s floor to abnormally high levels. Consider his record across his last 25 starts: five victories and three times a runner-up; along with 14 top fives and 22 top 25s. That’s Scheffleresque consistency in the world’s most volatile game.
At 35, McIlroy has got even better.
He will play once more before Augusta, and he can’t do a whole lot more to prepare in advance of the drive up Magnolia Lane. His issue, of course, will come down to what he does once the competition begins, and the scar tissue means that to win, he will have to do more on the course than anyone else.
Let’s see how he’s ready for the mental battle. Because on this form, it’s the only challenge left to him.
I don’t buy this Premier League era, It’s a farce and disrespectful to what came before.
Don’t worry Liverpool won’t be forgotten..
True.. It is a great story, but disrespectful to all the father and son champions before it who are left out by saying premier league era.
Sky invented english soccer- well that’s what they want you to think. This was never more evident than Vardys excellent run of goals this season ignoring Jimmy Dunne, it is only one example it like soccer was not played in England until 1992, like you see in extreme communist regimes where they start at year zero and all previous history is deleted.
Shaun Wright Phillips isn’t Ian Wright ‘s son .He got with her Ma ,thats all .
I have no doubt about that, The most successful club in England and still counting.
Not having a go but technically Man Utd are if you are on about English titles (20-18), and overall major trophy wins (62-60).
Major trophies? Thats way too much either way…. League, FA Cup, League Cup, CL, Europa/UEFA, CWC. Do not count Charity Shield, European Super cup or World Club…..
Would you count UEFA cup is that classed as a major? Considering it’s only open to teams not good enough for champions league.. For me that doesn’t make it a major.
So, when it was just champions enter European cup, and many great teams went into UEFA, considered minor? Any tournament that qualifies you for the following season is major. What do you consider major?
In England League, Champions League, FA Cup and League cup in the that order.. Then maybe world club cup followed by Europa league but I wouldn’t count them as majors especially the Europa League as it isn’t of the highest standard..
World club is a micky mouse FIFA show case of the highest order……. Really…. Europa cup has the teams that just miss out on CL, and CL teams who came 3rd….. Very low quality, huh? Ffs….
The UEFA cup had plenty of good teams when only champions could enter the European cup. The cup winners cup was of lower quality in the 80s/90s. The league stage of the Europa league is cat, no doubt but once hit 1/4 finals, it’s a good standard. The World Club
Championship is only a farce of a competition
As I said not of the highest standard never said low.. I mean great players don’t want to win it as they want the champions league.. It’s good for average clubs and the real prize for winning it now is a spot in the champions league..
Irish, FA cup and League cup is only taken serious by ‘quality ‘ teams if they have no hope in the league. And yes, I know who played League Cup final.
Liverpool 41 United 39 good man!
United are 40 Liverpool 41
The FA cup has not been won yet…. And 25 years of dominance and still behind? No wonder Sky Sports Man Utd like to say it all started in 92.
Who mentioned the FA cup? I hardly included that
Well, I missed something, where you get 40?
Google it and it comes up..
Yes, league, league cup, fa cup, european cup/cl, uefa/europa and European cup winners, get 39.
Well it’s seems world club championship is counted.. I guess that’s understandable as its best team from each winners from the champions league from all around the world..
Btw I still think Europa league shouldn’t count after 1992 as its second rate teams.. But let’s not argue over little things..
World club is a fifa showcase, played in japan, where only South American or European teams will win, where you get hear team names such as mamadodooi extreme warriors or whatever…… In Japan…. Causing a fixture congestion back home…. Yes, major trophy, unlike that mickey mouse cup Europa which has useless teams such as Sevilla, Dortmund, Liverpool, Man Utd, Atletico….. Whatever makes you sleep peacefully….. Funny too, you would say that about a trophy Man U have never even come close to winning….. I know Liverpool have never won World Club, been close…. Christ, it was also skipped for years….. If it was so major, that would never happen.
I rather my team win the world club cup than the Euorpa league and I think every fan would agree with that.. Teams who win the Europa league are teams who come 5th, 6th or 7th in there league.. Teams who win the World Club cup win the champions league.. Just look at the winners of it all top clubs. And the Japan teams you mentioned never won it.. Don’t worry tho Liverpool are still ahead…
Whatever, Europa cup was very important before Man Utd played Liverpool, after that is was a useless cup. World club is a money maker for FIFA, and nothing else, every fan knows that except you. But do not worry, I have no problem acknowledging Man Utd’s dominance that they had, they were brilliant, and yea, as a Pool fan, that is hard, but credit were credit is due…. But you demean a cup, where some of the finest teams in Europe still contest is not right, world club is a joke, no team wants to be there. I am not going to respond after this one, and also, I guess Man Utd stay at 39, your not going to count the cup winners? Where teams near the end could qualify……………?
Every team want to win the world club cup as it means they already won the champions league..
Btw I’m not the making this up just google it and United are 40 and Liverpool 41.. I don’t know why it bothers you so much.. Fair enough you don’t respect the World Cup and I don’t respect the Europa league for the past 20 years ( due to the greater number of teams taking part in the champions league) but nevertheless our opinions don’t matter in the overall count..
Like Father Like Son !
Who are u talking about chef
The team that irish brought up.
But Chef you follow Shamrock Rovers !!
Shels.