You could certainly understand if there was no player who enjoyed the build-up to The Masters less than Rory McIlroy, with the Northern Irishman likely knowing exactly what questions he is set to face each year before teeing it up at Augusta National.
The Masters was so nearly the first major Rory McIlroy won. As it is, it is the only tournament denying the 35-year-old the career grand slam – and has been for the last 10 events held at Augusta National.
McIlroy, of course, started the final round of the 2011 Masters with a four shot lead. However, he would seemingly struggle to handle the pressure and would shoot an 80 on Sunday to fall well out of contention. Many will remember the sight of the devastated youngster propping himself up with his driver after finding the water on 13 as his tournament completely unraveled.
Few would have imagined that McIlroy would go into 2025 still awaiting his first green jacket. Along the way, he has finished in the top 10 on seven occasions, with his best result being a second place in 2022. And yet, it has never felt as though he has had a better chance than he did 13 years ago.
Edoardo Molinari suggests reasons why Rory McIlroy is yet to win The Masters
Edoardo Molinari is the stats genius behind Europe’s Ryder Cup win in 2023, while the Italian also made his debut in the event at Celtic Manor in 2010 – the same year as McIlroy. And speaking on Fried Egg Golf, Molinari shared why he believes McIlroy is yet to get across the line at Augusta.
“I think the issue with Rory at Augusta, I think has nearly been solved now to be honest. I think in the last few years, excluding say the last couple of years, I would always see him play way too aggressive into the greens,” he said.
“He would often short-side himself. If you look at Tiger around Augusta, he can make the cut with one leg and no back, it doesn’t matter, simply because he just plays in a way where if he misses a shot, he always leaves himself a chance to get up and down, which is the same thing that Scottie did so well this year when it was very windy. It was very difficult for everyone, but Scottie was missing the greens and he would always miss it on a side where he would have an up and down. And I think in previous years, I was hoping for Rory to win and I still am, and I think he will, but I think he was just missing too often in places where there’s no tomorrow, you can’t make a par, you’re starting to make a bogey.
“So I think one issue is that. And I think the other issue with Rory at Augusta, as you kind of mentioned before, is that he hits it very, very long, but I think compared to other players, even when he’s playing well, he might still hit a bad shot that obviously gets punished at Augusta.
“If I see the players of that calibre, like Jon and Scottie and Brooks and DJ, when they’re on and they’re playing well, I don’t see many bad shots, while with Rory, as good as he is, and he’s every bit as good as one of these players, sometimes even when he’s in contention, he still hits one shot that is 40 yards off line, and at Augusta you pay a big price for it.”
