Rory McIlroy is heading home early from the 87th Masters after what can only be described as a disastrous first two days at Augusta National.
After his Dubai Desert Classic win in January, where he sensationally birdied the 72nd hole to beat Patrick Reed by one, if you told me that he’d comfortably miss the cut at TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National, his two biggest events of the year up until now, I wouldn’t have believed you.
McIlroy came into the week playing great golf after rediscovering his form at the WGC-Match Play, which can be put down to a number of factors including a different format and some equipment changes that included a new putter.
Yet, when push came to shove, and the chance of a Green Jacket was once again on offer, McIlroy simply folded.
Having rewatched every shot of his first two rounds, which included 10 bogeys and a double, it was clear to see where he was lacking. The Northern Irishman appeared to make some odd decisions, hit a fair few bad shots, lacked the mental grit that you perhaps need to put a score together around Augusta (see Tiger Woods), and then crucially his putting let him down.
Round One
McIlroy opened with a level-par 72, which on the face of it wasn’t the worst of starts to his grand slam attempt. Saying that though, getting off to a good start at Augusta can never go amiss and he was, in his own words, “untidy” on Thursday. Untidy doesn’t quite get it done when Brooks Koepka shoots out the gates with a 65.
He birdied the 2nd to get off to a lovely start but then showed some untidiness straight away. The 3rd is a 350-yard par 4 and both days he hit excellent drives up the left (where the ball is inevitably going to finish due to the slopes) to leave tricky pitches. He bogeyed it both days. Perhaps an iron is the play there in the future.
Tiger Woods bogeyed it on day one after hitting a driver. Next day? He hit iron and made an easy par.
The lowlight of Rory’s opening round was a double bogey on the 7th. Both days he went left and he actually played the hole three-over for his opening two rounds. Instead of laying up with his second shot in round one, he blasted it over the back to leave a supremely difficult flop shot over the bunker. He duffed it, hit a decent bunker shot and then missed a five-footer for bogey.
For someone who has played in 15 Masters tournaments and has spent plenty of time at the course already this year, I have to question why he didn’t lay up and why he was putting himself in such a difficult…
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