Has McIlroy blundered by insisting Masters is No 1?
RARELY one for the bland soundbite, Rory McIlroy certainly caused a stir last week by voicing the contentious view that the Masters is now a bigger tournament than The Open.
What concerned me, though, was the fact such a belief cannot possibly be helpful when it comes to his chances of ever pulling off the career Grand Slam.
First, let’s emphasise that McIlroy has earned the right to rank the four majors in any order he sees fit. Sure, his opinion must have caused some consternation at the Royal and Ancient, not to mention among many British golf fans. It is one thing for a top American to hold those opinions — but the best player in Europe?
Think about it this way, though. Imagine if you were in McIlroy’s position and the Masters was the major you were missing to join a truly select club — the one you are asked about for eight months continuously from the moment the final putt drops at the USPGA in August to the coming of the blessed rite of spring the following April.
Wouldn’t you start to think the Masters had leapfrogged the Claret Jug and made its way to the top of the pile?
Whether you agree with McIlroy or not, you can certainly see the logic. But here is the bit I cannot fathom, and particularly for such a bright and studious bloke who has spent the past month swotting up on books written by sports psychologists.
If you are telling everyone that the Masters has grown in importance to the point it is now the No 1 major, how is that going to ease the pressure when it comes to you ever completing the set?
Indeed, isn’t it going to do the exact opposite and pile on still more pressure? Surely, the wisest ploy would be to go the other way, and downplay it if at all possible when in the public eye?
One thing we can all agree on is it is all in the mind as to whether McIlroy will complete the Grand Slam or not. There is no disputing his game is good enough to win several green jackets, not just one.
But can he think clearly on the final day and cope sufficiently with such a difficult set of suffocating circumstances? To that end, what happened on the final day this year did not inspire confidence — and neither does his elevating the status of the Masters.