RORY IS THE JUGGLE KING
McIlroy adopts new tricks in the hope of taming Augusta
Rory McIlroy has spoken a lot over the past month about a change of attitude and freeing his mind to the point where he will be able to deliver a career Grand Slam. on the eve of his latest attempt at the Masters, he provided further eyeopening details.
Alongside his library of self-help manuals, the 29- year- old has become a dab hand at juggling and also revealed he turned to meditation on the morning before his victory at the Players Championship last month.
‘I won’t be spending a month with the monks in Nepal but it’s important to find things that resonate with you and I’m committed to the path I’ve chosen,’ he said.
As for his juggling skills, he commented: ‘I can only do three balls at any one time. I’m still a rookie, but I think it’s catching. I saw some girls at the women’s amateur doing it before they played on Saturday.’
In golf vernacular it’s known as getting out of your own way and while we thought we’d seen everything over the years, McIlroy might have come up with something new with his juggling skills
The most important thing, of course, is that with six other top10 finishes this year to go alongside his win in the PGA Tour’s flagship event, he’s clearly keeping all the balls in the air.
‘I think I’m learning to do a better job of not getting ahead of myself, although it’s always going to be a work in progress,’ he said.
Not getting ahead of himself is going to be vitally important for McIlroy this week — given the fact virtually everyone else is doing precisely that.
Indeed, such are the levels of near-hysteria regarding his chances of winning a green jacket, you might have to go back to the glory days of Tiger Woods to find the last time a golfer attracted the sort of skinny odds attached to his name.
Is everything falling into line for him to finally claim the career Grand Slam? The weather has certainly been co-operating.
After more than an inch of rain fell on the course during a ferocious thunderstorm on Monday, another skyload was dumped on Augusta yesterday as spectators were evacuated following the threat of lightning.
Not only will it remain soft for the first round tomorrow but better weather is moving in, with warm sunshine and little wind expected to be the order of the day.
If rory could have pre- ordered the conditions that will prevail for the 83rd edition, he couldn’t have come up with an upgrade.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that outside the bubble in which Tiger lives, it is McIlroy’s name on everyone’s lips. He’s not only bookies’ favourite to win but the fancy of many of his fellow competitors.
‘If I had to pick one player other than myself to win, it would have to be rory,’ said the Spaniard Jon rahm. ‘He’s driving the ball well, he’s putting a lot better and playing as well as he has for an awful long time. He’s going to be tough to beat.’
Phil Mickelson, who will be resuming his own career Grand Slam quest at the US open in June, added: ‘rory has had such a phenomenal start to the season, I think it’s a given that he will contend. After that you need those little breaks and putts to go your way. But I like his chances.’
Then there are the golfing analysts. ‘Not only is rory playing well but I think his recent victory at the Players was huge,’ said former US open champion Curtis Strange, who is covering this event for ESPN. ‘In this game our personalities are dictated by how we’re playing and rory finishing things off with that win is going to put that bounce in his stride.’
McIlroy, of course, is doing everything he can to get away from precisely this line of thinking.
Asked what he likes about Augusta, McIlroy gave a thoughtful response worthy of someone who has become a bookworm.
‘I just love the fact it almost demands that you are creative,’ he said. ‘You’ve got so many things to look at from the tall pines to the white sand to the green grass to the yellow flagsticks.
‘It paints a picture for you and asks you to create something of your own.’
In 30 minutes in the press interview room, it was one of the few times McIlroy actually touched on golf.
Such is the fascination with his efforts to complement his prodigious ability to actually hit the ball. It suits McIlroy, of course. It is exactly how he likes it these days.
In fact, golf has always been a game of juggling the physical and the mental. As many have found before him, the less McIlroy thinks about golf, the better he plays.
Juggle on, Rory. Juggle on.