Fansided

5 biggest questions heading into the Masters

By David Salituro

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 09: Tiger Woods of the United States and Justin Thomas of the United States walk during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 09, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 09: Tiger Woods of the United States and Justin Thomas of the United States walk during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 09, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images /

3. Is Rory McIlroy motivated enough to complete the Grand Slam?

Rory McIlroy is almost the forgotten man this week at Augusta National.

McIlroy finds himself in a position entering the Masters that he’s not used to: flying under the radar. Behind Tiger Woods’ quest to repeat as Masters champion and Bryson DeChambeau’s prodigious drives, McIlroy’s quest to complete the career Grand Slam isn’t getting the headlines it normally would.

McIlroy is making his sixth attempt to complete the Grand Slam. He would be only the sixth player in the modern era to do so and join Gene Sarazen as the only players to do it at Augusta. But first he has to reach the finish line, something he’s found a tough time doing in recent years.

He finished in the top-10 at the Masters five straight years from 2014-19. His best attempt at winning came two years ago when he trailed Patrick Reed entering the final round but shot a disappointing 74 on Sunday to fall back to fifth. Entering the 2019 Masters, McIlroy was the hottest player on the planet and a heavy favorite coming off winning the Players Championship, but he finished well back in 21st.

Since the PGA Tour returned to play in June, McIlroy has shown flashes of brilliance interspersed with all-too-common sloppy play. In his last start at the Zozo Championship, he led the field with 29 birdies but threw in eight bogeys and three double-bogeys, finishing in a tie for 17th despite closing with rounds of 67-67-66. He has just two top-10s in his last 12 starts and has admitted the lack of galleries has affected his play.

“I feel like … I’ve just been going through the motions,” he said after finishing 65th at the Northern Trust in August. “I want to get an intensity and some sort of fire, but I just haven’t been able to. And look, that’s partly to do with the atmosphere and partly to do with how I’m playing. I’m not inspiring myself and I’m trying to get inspiration from outside sources to get something going.”

There won’t be any patrons this week, so the enormity of what a Green Jacket would mean to his career is all the inspiration he can draw on this week. A fifth major title would tie him with Phil Mickelson for second-most in the Tiger-era, and he would join the pantheon of golf’s immortals. That should be enough for a player with the talent to be a contender at the Masters every year.

Home/The Masters