McIlroy totes new perspective in bag

Still in search of career grand slam at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. – It wasn’t all that long ago that the first question Rory McIlroy got upon arriving at the Masters was sure to be about the career grand slam.

This week, it’s whether daughter Poppy will join him in the Par- 3 Contest.

It’s been seven years since McIlroy first had the chance to complete the career grand slam with a win at Augusta National. Since then, he’s gotten engaged. Gotten married. Had a daughter, who is now almost 2.

All of those things have helped shift his perspective on that elusive major title.

“I’m maybe at a different stage of my life where, back then, golf was everything,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “Look, it’s still very, very important. But maybe back then I would think that – I don’t know if I would feel like I was fulfilled if I didn’t win one or whatever it is. But it’s less pressure.”

McIlroy is by no means at the point in his career where the best he can hope for at the Masters is a leisurely stroll around Augusta National. Despite this being his 14th appearance at the Masters, he is only 32.

He is ranked No. 9 in the world this week. He’s been in the top 15 in three of his five starts this year, including a win in Las Vegas in his season debut, success he attributes to a revelation he had at last year’s Ryder Cup.

“At that point, I was getting a little too caught up in technical thoughts about my golf swing and playing golf swing rather than playing golf,” McIlroy said. “When you get so tied up in technical thoughts, you don’t visualize as well, you don’t see the shot you want to hit. You don’t try to shape shots as much. You just basically ( say), ‘ The ball’s here, the target’s there. I’m going to get this from A to B and make this movement with my body and my golf club.’ There’s no real imagination or creativity to it.

“It’s definitely been a marked improvement from then, and it’s something that I’m always trying to keep in my game.”

McIlroy missed the cut last week in San Antonio, the first time he didn’t play the weekend since last year’s Masters. But even that was “beneficial,” he said, allowing to get in more practice before arriving at Augusta National.

“I actually felt a lot better about where things were heading up here Sunday evening,” he said.

Not only about his game, but his approach to the Masters.

McIlroy’s best finish at Augusta was fourth, in 2015, and he’s had four other top- 10 finishes since then. It’s taken him a long time, but McIlroy said playing with Dustin Johnson the first two days in 2020 made him realize that the key is not trying to do too much.

“I think he was 12 under after two days. Twelve under is a helluva score after two days here, but I wasn’t in awe of the way he played,” McIlroy said. “It’s just he did the right things and he put it in the right spots, and he held a few putts and he took advantage of the par- 5s, and he basically did everything that this golf course asks of you.”

Johnson went on to win, shooting a record 20- under par.

“That’s what this place is all about.

It’s as much of a chess game as anything else,” McIlroy said. “It’s just about putting yourself in the right positions and being disciplined and being patient and knowing that pars are good, and even if you make a couple of pars on the par- 5s, that’s OK, and you just keep moving forward.”

For as much as the Masters is defined by signature shots – Tiger’s dramatic chip shot on 16 in 2005, Jack’s tee shot on the same hole in 1986, Bubba from deep in the woods on 10 in the 2012 playoff – it is all the other shots that decide who will be wearing a green jacket on Sunday night.

Plenty of players don’t realize that. Or think it will be different for them. But with its length and quirks, not to mention its diabolical greens, Augusta National will always have the last say.

“It feels like playing very negatively: playing away from trouble, not firing at flagsticks, not being aggressive. It feels like a negative game plan, but it’s not,” McIlroy said. “It’s just a smart game plan. It’s playing the percentages.

“Look, Sunday, if you need to take risks, you take risks obviously,” he added. “But for the first 54 holes, you just have to stay as disciplined as possible. That goes against my nature a little bit, so it is something I have to really work hard on.”

One thing McIlroy won’t have to work hard on is not obsessing about his play, and whether it will be good enough to put him in contention for that last major. His family is with him this week – yes, Poppy will be joining him in the Par- 3 – and he plans to take full advantage of that rarity during the season.

“You don’t want to feel like that absent dad, so you want to try to spend quality time when you can,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to turn your attention away from the golf when you get home and, whatever it is, draw on a chalkboard or whatever she wants to do.”

A different perspective than years past at the Masters, on the course and off.

DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/ AUGUSTA CHRONICLE Rory McIlroy shares a laugh with Tiger Woods during a practice round this week for the Masters at Augusta National.