RORY MEETS HIS MATCH
US MASTERS McIlroy has met his match at Augusta
YOU’VE got to love a 79th Masters that begins with everyone marvelling at the idea of a player completing the career Grand Slam at the age of 25 and reaches halfway with the record books blitzed by a man aged 21.
The search for a rival for Rory McIlroy has taken in a Tiger Woods revival, the charms of Rickie Fowler and the awesome power of Dustin Johnson. But, whatever happens to him at Augusta National today — and let’s not forget that Rory himself, aged 21, led the Masters by four with a round to play and didn’t win — we can surely agree that actually the name we were looking for all along was Jordan Spieth. It’s just a question of whether the rivalry begins this evening, or whether Spieth needs more experience.
What must those students in their final year at the University of Texas be thinking, as they forget their studies for a moment to tune in to see their colleague, who dropped out just 11 months ago, making headlines around the world?
Spieth, who was ranked 809th at the time he turned professional, came into the Masters with one win and two seconds in his last three events. A green jacket would vault him up to become the world’s No2. Then it really would be game on.
The pair make for a lovely contrast. McIlroy is the new face of the game, thanks to his own stellar play, engaging personality and some clever advertising by his main sponsors, Nike, Bose and Omega. Spieth is much more understated.
It’s a bit like that with their golf as well. Stand behind the tee when McIlroy drives off and the ‘wow’ factor is overwhelming. Watch Spieth and you wonder at first what all the fuss is about. A few rounds in, and Graeme McDowell’s lovely description chimes judiciously. ‘Jordan doesn’t drive the ball like Rory, but he drives it far enough,’ he said. ‘He doesn’t hit his irons like Tiger but he hits them well enough. He doesn’t chip like Phil Mickelson but he chips well enough. You get what I’m saying? He’s just a really solid, no-frills player who’s going to have an amazing career.’
Actually, to continue with G-Mac’s theme, Spieth’s putting is way beyond ‘well enough,’ as is his course management skills, which are astonishing for one so young.
Remember, this is the place where it’s supposed to be all about experience. Spieth’s first 36 holes during this event took his total number of competitive rounds at Augusta to precisely six — and he has led the tournament after three of them (the first two rounds here, plus the third round last year, when he went on to finish second to Bubba Watson).
He played those six rounds in a cumulative total of 19 under par which was precisely the number Tiger Woods managed during his first six rounds as a pro at Augusta. The difference was Tiger had also played six rounds as an amateur by then. As for McIlroy, not for a second in the build-up did he or anyone else imagine he would be a dozen shots behind after two rounds. The Northern Irishman denied that expectation had got the better of him, but he did look a little more nervous than usual, which was not only perfectly understandable but would also account for his low-key showing to that point.
You only have to be three or four yards out with your second shots to struggle at Augusta and just a little tension would cause that. But for those who felt the need to jump on McIlroy’s case because he had underperformed a little over the first two days, it’s worth stressing how difficult majors are to win. Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods are the only men ever to win three in a row, which was what McIlroy was trying to achieve here.
It is not easy leading a major from start to finish either, of course, so there was still hope for Johnson and the English pair Paul Casey and Justin Rose who began their third rounds seven strokes off the lead.
Phil Mickelson, a further shot adrift, summed up the task nicely when he said: ‘Jordan has been playing so well for so long you’d be surprised if he faltered. But the task is to make sure you’re in position if something does happen.’
From a domestic point of view, Casey has been the revelation of this season, and it is hardly surprising his week began with a long conversation with Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke. At the moment the 37 year old is ineligible for the contest in Minneapolis next year on account of the fact he’s not a member of the European Tour. Clarke
tried to persuade him to rejoin, and this weekend might have a large bearing on what Casey decides to do.
When a player falls outside the top 50 he loses one of the ways to get into the majors and world golf championship events, which makes it very difficult to play both tours. Casey had fallen outside the top 100 and opted to concentrate on the PGA Tour.
Top-three finishes in successive events vindicated his decision and saw him move up to 48th, which earned him his first appearance at the Masters since 2012. Another top-three finish here, and he would move up into the world’s top 40. Casey has until May 1 to rejoin the European Tour or else he will have to wait until next year. If he does that, he will lose out on all the millions of Ryder Cup qualifying points on offer between September, when the process begins again, and December, hence Clarke’s concern. If Casey could build on his opening rounds of 68 and 69, that might be enough to persuade him to rejoin.
Rose’s good showing over the first 36 holes came despite a poor run of recent results. The 34-year-old former US Open champion had rounds of 67, 70, and knew what was required. ‘I need some magic over the weekend,’ he said.
That went for everyone else hoping to catch the clear-eyed Texan at the top of the leaderboard.
‘He’s like Wyatt Earp,’ said fellow Texan Ben Crenshaw. ‘He looks at you and he’s going to shoot you down.’
Now the question was whether Spieth could emerge like Earp did from the OK Corral — and survive the agonising tension of a weekend at Augusta without a scratch.