RORY NEEDS TO IRON OUT PROBLEMS
McGinley reckons pressure of chasing the career Grand Slam affected McIlroy’s shots
RORY MCILROY is struggling with his irons again under the pressure of completing his career Grand Slam at the Masters, according to Paul McGinley.
World No.2 McIlroy admits his swing felt “horrific” during a painfully-slow second round that took over six hours in gusting winds.
The Ulsterman carded his first birdie-free round at Augusta National with a 77 that has effectively ended his 16th bid to win the Masters – and his 10th go at completing the full set of Majors.
McIlroy, 34, tried to change his fortunes in Georgia this year by going for a coaching clinic with Butch Harmon, arriving early at Augusta for a reconnaissance mission, playing the week before and arriving late on Tuesday.
He even cut his pre-tournament press conference to just over 10 minutes.
But it was the same old story for the Floridabased star, who is now fast approaching the 10th anniversary of his fourth and last Major win in August 2014.
“His iron play was poor,” said his former Ryder Cup captain McGinley. “That is what he has really struggled with this year.
“He improved last week after going to see Butch in Las Vegas and finished third at the Valero Texas Open.
“But he has been back struggling with the irons in Augusta. I hate to see it happen. He is not playing very well. That’s the bottom line.
“Players come in and out of form. And Rory is not in good form at the moment.”
Speaking before the 88th Masters, six-time champ Jack Nicklaus warned McIlroy that greats like Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson never completed their career Grand Slams.
And the Golden Bear criticised the Ulsterman’s concentration.
“For some reason, Rory always has a little bit of a lapse somewhere around the tournament,” said Nicklaus. “He’ll find a double bogey or triple bogey that sneaks in there.”
McIlroy fell down the field on Friday when he took a double bogey at the 11th after a long wait on the tee. McIlroy said: “My swing felt horrific for the last six or seven holes just from waiting around, especially the 11th hole.
“It felt like that took about an hour to play. It was stop and start. Hard to get into a rhythm with the conditions and obviously how slow the play was as well. Mentally it’s a grind.”
McIlroy was given a lesson on how to stay in contention despite the tough conditions by his playing partner Scottie Scheffler.
The World No.1 has 18 top-10 finishes in his last 24 starts and the 2022 Masters champ came to Augusta as the hot favourite.
Double US Open champion Curtis Strange said: “He is playing spectacular golf. He has positive belief in his game. This is why he is the man to beat.”
Zach Johnson has finally spoken out after allegations that a furious, X-rated outburst was aimed at Masters fans.
Johnson’s posted a three-over-par 75 in the second round, putting him at seven over for the tournament and missing the cut.
His troubles peaked at the par-three 12th on Friday, where gusty winds added to the challenge of the Georgia course.
The 2007 Masters winner watched in dismay as his initial tee shot veered left into the bushes and his subsequent attempt from the tee box missed the green to the right.
After chipping onto the putting surface, Johnson needed two attempts to finish with a triple bogey. Johnson was then overheard yelling “f*** off ”, sparking rumours that his anger was directed at the crowd.
However, questioned about the incident, after signing for his 78, Johnson said: “I swore at the patrons? That’s laughable.
“I can’t hear the patrons and I’d just made a triple bogey on the 12th hole that was going to make me miss the cut.”
The former US Ryder Cup captain said his foul language was self-directed, stating: “If I’ve said anything, which I’m not going to deny especially if it’s on camera, I apologise.”