McILROY’S BID TO JOIN GREATS

World No 1 has sights on Grand Slam glory

Gene Sarazen did it with the shot heard round the world. Ben Hogan did it with his one and only appearance at the Open Championship. Tiger Woods achieved it at the Home of Golf.

When it comes to the career Grand Slam the stars align it seems, and it is completed with wondrous deeds on fitting stages. And now rory McIlroy has the chance to join the exalted company of just five men at Augusta National, of all places.

As Woods put it: ‘Where better could you ask for than to complete it here?’

And so, 155 years after the first major championship, another season opens with a potentially epochal event. A campaign that will take us to uncharted territory near Seattle for the United States Open and St Andrews for The Open; to the whispering wilds of Wisconsin for the PGA. But it is here, where more majors have been held than any other venue, where we begin with the most exciting storylines of all.

This 79th Masters was set up beautifully as it was, with McIlroy’s bid to win a third straight major, but Tiger’s return has elevated it to another plane. Love him or not, there’s no denying the frisson of added excitement he brings. Noticeably thinner and brimming with health, how good to see him walking around with a smile on his face as well and signing autographs, clearly thrilled to be showing his kids the place where he has left an indelible mark.

Is this Scrooge-like conversion a sign he doesn’t think he can win any more, or is he just a man whose heart has grown fonder through absence? Whatever the answer, it will make for compelling viewing over the next few days as the man who won 11 of his 14 majors ranked No 1 in the world tries to win one ranked 111th. And here’s a nice little omen to send him on his way: Darren Clarke was ranked 111th when he won The Open Championship at royal St George’s in 2011.

IN the press room on Tuesday it was as if rory and Tiger had switched personalities, with the former the subdued, somewhat reluctant one. To be fair to McIlroy, he’s been answering the same questions for eight long months. He’s talked out about the Grand Slam. Now he gets the chance to enter the blessed sanctuary that inside the ropes provides and finally seize his opportunity to set a new benchmark for european golf rather than talk about it.

For two of his four major championship victories, McIlroy got a huge helping hand from Mother Nature, as great dollops of rain rendered Congressional for the 2011 US Open and Valhalla for last year’s USPGA soft and defenceless — the sort of dart-throwing contest which is right up McIlroy’s alley.

This Masters might get interrupted as well by an afternoon thunderstorm or two but it is also expected to get under way today with near record temperatures for this time of year. Add that to Augusta National’s sub-air system under the greens and there will be no darts thrown here. As it should be. If you’re going to join legends, you should be doing it the hard way.

McIlroy might be the bookies’ favourite for good reason but his Augusta record offers up a litany of damning statistics he must rectify before he can be considered for a green jacket. Can you believe that as good a driver as the Northern Irishman is, he has hit the par five 13th fairway just four times in 22 attempts in competition? Or that he has had no birdies in 44 tries on the holes that start the front and back nines. This week we will truly get the chance to gauge his development as a golfer.

Alongside him for the first two days will be Phil Mickelson, another player who had all the attributes to win Augusta at 25 but had to wait until the age of 33 to win his first Masters. It might be that McIlroy has to wait a while longer, too.

There are not only questions about his own record at Augusta that the world No 1 must answer. There’s the formidable form of his peers. The next six players in the rankings — Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Dustin Johnson — have all either won a tournament in the past two months or have a green jacket already. It is inconceivable at least one won’t hit form.

The list of potential winners stretches longer. Indeed, there’s not a great golf-playing territory in the world that won’t be watching with legitimate hopes of seeing one of its own triumph.

Nowhere will that anticipation be greater than here. A win for McIlroy and papers will be filled with where it ranks in the annals of the great feats achieved by UK sportsmen.

There’s no point discussing what might be the ending when the drama has not even begun. But it’s perfectly acceptable to keep fingers crossed and dare to wonder whether, over the next four days, we’re going to be witnesses to a singular piece of UK sporting history.

JACK NICKLAUS showed he’s still got it at the age of 75 with a stunning hole-in- one at the fourth hole in yesterday’s Par 3 contest.