Tiger tees up for a shot at 2019 Masters
Can Woods work his magic through the azaleas at Augusta National and don a fifth green jacket?
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Rory McIlroy turns 30 in less than a month, so if he’s going to complete the career Grand Slam in his 20s, now is the time.
He’s at the top of his game, he has a healthy new attitude and he says he is “very comfortable” playing Augusta National for the 11th consecutive year. In addition to a victory at The Players, he has had a great run of top-six finishes in his five other stroke-play events this season.
Ignore his loss to Tiger Woods in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. This is Rory’s year.
“It’s been a wonderful start to the season,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “I don’t think I’ve ever started a season this well in terms of finishes, and even statswise, looking at all my stats, they are right up there with some of the best years that I’ve had.”
McIlroy has had top-10 finishes in each of his last five Masters: tied for 8th, 4th, tied for 10th, tied for 7th and tied for 5th last year.
“I’m very comfortable with this golf course,” he said. “I think it takes awhile to get comfortable on this golf course and the surroundings. But I’ve got that comfort level now. … I know I’ve played well enough and I’ve shot enough good scores around here over the years that if I can put my best effort forward, I’m going to have a good chance to do well here.”
This will be McIlroy’s fifth attempt to become the sixth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam. He won the U.S. Open in 2011, the PGA in 2012 and the British Open and PGA in 2014.
In many ways, he has always seemed built to win here.
“I think one of the great things about this course is it forces you to be creative and I like that side of the game,” he said. “I like to see shots. I like to visualize. The massive tall pines, the contrast between the green grass and the white bunkers, the yellow flagsticks — there are so many things to look at and be aware of and it paints a picture for you. I think that’s one of the great things about Augusta National is you can’t help but be creative and see things.”
Including, finally, a victory come Sunday.
Dustin Johnson
Big fan of DJ’s consistency this season, with wins in Saudi Arabia and Mexico City and five top-10s in eight PGA Tour starts. There’s no reason to think he can’t get it done at Augusta. He’s been T-10, T-4 and T-6 in his last three Masters appearances and just needs to get off to a better start; opening-round 73s in 2018 and 2016 put him behind the eight ball early. If he can shoot something in the 60s on Thursday, we love his chances to slip on the green jacket come Sunday. — Dan Kilbridge
Rory McIlroy
Coming into this season’s Masters, Rory McIlroy’s career has followed a path like many heroes from classical literature. Having undertaken a quest, he has gone through trials and battles that have sharpened his skills and grown his self-belief. Now, at 29, he is returning to the place where his most humbling defeat took place, but Rory is ready to finally vanquish this foe, win at Augusta National and complete the career Grand Slam. He’s the best driver of the golf ball in the world and one of the game’s elite iron players. If those strengths don’t betray him, he could go 12 under on the par-5s alone. — David Dusek
Jordan Spieth
Tiger Woods
Rory McIlroy
What he’s learned from a slew of top-10 finishes is that he doesn’t need his very best to win here, and history shows that even average putting is enough when allied with premier ball striking. The work he has done with a performance coach to manage the mental side of the game — not just this week but over the long term — is another weapon that could prove crucial at Augusta National.
— Eamon Lynch
Justin Rose
How many times can this tournament elude him? Despite being No. 2 in the world, Rose’s name isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue this week. But recall his last five starts at Augusta: T-12, 2, T-10, T-2, T-14. It’s time for Rose to graduate from gracious runner-up to a green jacket. — Beth Ann Nichols He becomes Jordanesque when he drives down Magnolia Lane. Forget his recent form and check his Masters record — T-2, W, T-2, T-11, 3. His imagination is greatly rewarded at Augusta National; his putter is money at Augusta National. — Steve DiMeglio So what if his five 2019 starts have produced only a T-10 in Mexico City and a T-5 in the Match Play. He took his game up a notch in dusting off Rory McIlroy during that Match Play where it became apparent that the entire early-season schedule was designed to prepare for this week. His surprisingly conservative approach going against the modern bomb-and-gouge approach was about Augusta, where risk-taking is overrated until Sunday. The 75% swing used so far was about not hurting himself and building to peak form this week. Remember, no one’s asking anymore if he’s got the swing figured out and there hasn’t been a mention of chipping yips in years. Woods knows Augusta better than anyone in the field except maybe Phil Mickelson, and even at his lowest points finished in the top 20 here. Tiger Woods will win his fifth Masters this week. — Geoff Shackelford