AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy turned off Washington Road onto Magnolia Lane a year ago, and felt as sure as ever that it was his time to win the Masters.
McIlroy had been playing well and feeling very confident. He believed in himself more than just a hunch.
More like a prediction.
However, by Friday afternoon, after shooting a second-round 77 and missing the cut, all the positive feelings had disappeared.
His wait to win the green jacket and complete the career Grand Slam had extended to a full decade.
“No doubt, he'll do it at some point. Rory’s too talented, too good,” said Tiger Woods, one of the only players to have completed the modern slam.
“He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time,” Woods added. “He’ll get it done. It’s just a matter of when.”
Might be this week.
Similar to last year, McIlroy entered Magnolia Lane on Tuesday feeling positive about his game. He had performed well at PGA National and Bay Hill earlier this year, finished in the top 20 at The Players Championship, and recently spent time in Las Vegas with renowned coach Butch Harmon, which led to a third-place finish at the Texas Open last week.
That’s not an event McIlroy usually plays before the Masters, but it was part of a plan put in place months ago. The idea was to play more often earlier in the year, getting his game sharp not only for Augusta National but the rest of the majors as well.
“This is my 16th start in the Masters, so I feel like I’ve done it quite a few different ways,” McIlroy explained, “and I guess just trying to bring a little bit of normalcy into what I sort of try to do week in, week out. I play 25 weeks a year, and there’s no point in doing anything different this week compared to other weeks, I guess.”
Even if the Masters is a week unlike any other.
Instead of arriving early and struggling through practice rounds, McIlroy instead visited Augusta National last week for a two-day scouting trip before heading to Texas. In fact, he skipped Monday’s practice round — even Woods played nine that day — and was planning to play just nine holes by himself Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I feel like I’ve already got most of my prep work done. So it’s just about going out there and being relaxed and being in the right frame of mind,” McIlroy said, “and the more I can do that, the more I’ll be able to execute on the golf course.”
