Pundits say Rory the man to beat
THE MASTERS: MCILROY’S HOPING HIS PUTTER IS HOT
Northern Irishman looks to be back to his brilliant best.
Whether or not Rory McIlroy completes the career Grand Slam at the US Masters next Sunday, he will be impervious to the pressure of being the favourite, according to two former players who will call the action from Augusta National.
After four mediocre tournaments, McIlroy recaptured his old brilliance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago.
He stormed to victory with five birdies in the final six holes as his previously cold putter caught fire and matched the rest of his game.
A lesson with Brad Faxon, probably the best putter on tour for most of his career, helped McIlroy to stop obsessing with mechanics, focusing on remaining loose and making a good stroke.
That performance helped catapult McIlroy to outright favourite with at least one bookmaker.
“Rory won’t read too much into being the favourite this year (and) nor should we,” former PGA Tour winner Frank Nobilo said.
“Being favourite won’t create any more pressure than his own personal quest to win the Rory slam.”
Ian Baker-Finch thinks McIlroy remains the best player in the world when he is on his game.
In other words, McIlroy’s best is better than anyone else’s, but that does not guarantee anything in one of the most fickle of all sports.
“When he putts well and when he’s confident, he’s the best,” 1991 British Open champion Baker-Finch said.
“He’s won four Majors and when he wins he can win by 10 shots. There is a lot of pressure, going for a Grand Slam, one of the favourites, but I still believe he’s the man to beat.”
McIlroy knows what he is capable of when his putter co-operates.
Arguably the best driver in the game, he smashes the ball prodigious distances, combined with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
“I kept telling everyone, even when I was missing cuts and finishing 60th, it wasn’t that far away,” the 28-year-old Northern Irishman said after winning at Bay Hill.
“I’ve always believed in myself and I know that being 100 percent healthy is good enough to not just win on the PGA Tour but win a lot more.” – Reuters