McIlroy feels heat in Slam bid
McIlroy reveals pressure of chasing Slam
Rory McIlroy has admitted he finds the Masters the most stressful week in golf. Never shy of expressing an honest opinion, the Northern Irishman laid on the line how important completing the cherished career Grand Slam has become.
Asked the first thought that comes to mind when he thinks about Augusta, he said: ‘Stressful. I am, ask anyone who knows me, a complete p **** in the week leading up to Augusta. But they understand and know that. It’s a stressful situation.’
At the age of just 27, McIlroy is already the only European to complete three legs of the Grand Slam but needs the Masters to become just the sixth golfer ever to win all four majors.
He didn’t come close to completing it on his first two attempts in 2015 and last year as the pressure took its toll but Sir Nick Faldo senses a different McIlroy this year and backs him to complete what would be the greatest feat in European golf history.
‘He might be my favourite right now and I’m very bullish about his chances,’ said the three-time Masters champion. ‘He is in a great place mentally and he knows how to play and prepare for Augusta. When he first came here he didn’t hit his wedges close enough, but I just watched him hit 12 of them and they all finished within three feet or so of one another.’
McIlroy seemed relaxed enough during his pre-tournament press conference yesterday afternoon, with some thoughtful revelations. He was asked about playing golf with Donald Trump and admitted the backlash had been such he would think twice before accepting a similar invitation in the future.
During a week at home last week where he practised at Jack Nicklaus’s club in Florida, the great man himself wandered on to the practice range at one point and McIlroy couldn’t resist the chance to pick his brain.
Asking for some advice regarding Augusta, Nicklaus told him not to take on too much. ‘He said it had cost him two green jackets being too greedy with shots and I was thinking to myself, gee, you’ve got six of them, you’d didn’t do too badly,’ said McIlroy, smiling.
Ever since he first clapped eyes on Augusta, the theory has done the rounds the place is tailor made for McIlroy’s game, and he thought so at first as well. But the bald truth is that only once in eight appearances to date has he been in contention to win on a Sunday — the infamous meltdown in 2011 when he led by four with a round to play but collapsed on the back nine.
In an interview with Golf Digest, McIlroy admitted the biggest challenge he faces this week is the mental one. ‘I’ve been in position before and I haven’t got the job done when I needed to, and I don’t think that’s anything to do with my game,’ he said.
‘I think that’s more me mentally, and I’m trying to deal with the pressure of it and the thrill of the achievement if it were to happen. I think that’s the thing that’s really holding me back.’
That was certainly the case last year when he went into the weekend just one shot off the lead. Paired with Jordan Spieth in the third round, McIlroy played tight golf and subsided to a 77. McIlroy has made two reconnaissance trips to Augusta in the build-up to this event, one with his father Gerry, and has played no fewer than 99 holes in preparation. That’s about twice the normal amount for any other major.
‘I just think the more comfortable you can feel around Augusta the better,’ he explained.
‘For me that’s what it is all about. Going up for trips with my dad and friends and just messing around makes it feel way easier for me because I always associate Augusta with stressful situations and shots.’
let’s hope after this week he associates Augusta with a memory to last a lifetime.