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Rory McIlroy and The Masters Promise Great Anticipation

By Kathlene Bissell

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 15th tee in his match against Tiger Woods of the United States during the fourth round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 30, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 15th tee in his match against Tiger Woods of the United States during the fourth round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 30, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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As The Masters approach, you can feel it in the air. It draws more meaning for some, and for Rory McIlroy, it might be the most intense.

Rory McIlroy might not be old enough to remember, but years ago, there was a Heinz ketchup commercial about the length of time it took for two kids to get ketchup out of the bottle. There they were, hamburgers ready for the condiment, holding the bottle and waiting for it to ooze out of the container. Suddenly Carly Simon is singing, “Anticipation… an-ti-si-paaaay-shun.. is making me wait…”

Well, it’s kind of been like that with Rory McIlroy at the Masters as he once again takes a swing at wrapping up the career grand slam. He has just a few days more until the ketchup flows. Hopefully, for him, it’s more like a victory stroll instead of a ketchup-bloody, medieval battle.

Several people have been on the fence about McIlroy’s chances, including David Duval last year who was quoted in an article for The Telegraph saying , “there was a bit of ‘hold on’ in his golf swing and in his putting stroke. There’s no way of getting around it, hitting eight greens [in regulation] in the final round will never get it done and he’s going to have to sharpen up things.”

But recently both Curtis Strange and Andy North, in a conference call for ESPN’s upcoming Masters coverage, concluded that McIlroy’s recent play indicates he’s turned the corner. Part of the reason was, according to those two, his winning performance at The Players.

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"“Yes, it’s a completely different golf course. It’s a completely different animal, but he made key putts there,” North said about McIlroy’s Players victory. “He rolled the ball well. He stood over putts that meant something and made them coming down the stretch, and I think that will serve him well at Augusta. So that’s a big deal.”“To get over that little hurdle and win on really kind of a quirky golf course, in some ways, is similar to Augusta,” Strange commented. “You have to play shots. There are certain places you just can’t miss it. And to win on a big stage like that, you think about yourself differently.”"

Strange believes McIlroy has changed, mentally, after winning The Players.

"“If he’s in contention come Sunday afternoon, it’s a different Rory after winning The Players than it was before,” Strange added. “It’s such a mind game with us as players, so I think it was huge.”"

Rory McIlroy the Masters
AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 07: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland locates his ball in the flowers on the 13th hole during the third round of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Rory McIlroy believes he is ready for the challenge, both mentally and physically. He has to be because he says he’s asked about it every place he goes.

"“I don’t mind it,” he said in a press conference at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I love Augusta, I love the Masters tournament, I love what Augusta are doing in terms of Drive, Chip & Putt and the Women’s Amateur tournament. So, there’s a lot of great things going on and to be a part of the narrative in some way is nice. So, I don’t find it in any way detrimental.”"

He admitted to having put extra stress on himself the first couple of years that he had a chance for the grand slam.

"“I’ve become a lot more comfortable with the fact that I’m going to fail more times than I succeed,” he admitted."

In an effort to boost his chances, he’s added a 64-degree wedge because he thinks there are some places at Augusta National where it will come in handy, although he didn’t elaborate.

"“There’s a couple little things that you start to do or maybe some shots that you maybe are not quite comfortable with, turning it over on a couple of holes, or making sure that I get my driver turning over,” he noted about his pre-Masters preparation."

McIlroy’s also become somewhat philosophical about his quest for the green jacket.

"“As a golfer it, I join very elite company, and it would be something to look back on when I hang the clubs up and would be very proud of,” he explained. “As a person, is it that important to me? Probably not because I know that whether I win a green jacket or not, the people that I care about the most will hopefully not think differently of me if I win at Augusta or not.”"

But don’t get him wrong. He’d love that green jacket and all that comes with it.

"“It would just be a very proud moment in my life and something that I could look back on, and I would love to sit at the Champion’s Dinner when I’m 92,” he said."

He thinks it’s all about the chances he has, the swings at the bat.

"“Obviously the more chances you have, the more chances you’re going to have of getting over that line, he said. “If I just keep the form that I’m on, I would be happy with that.”"

While not predicting a victory, North sees great improvement on the greens from Rory McIlroy.

"“To win at Augusta National, you have to putt well. I think Rory has done that better, more consistently this year, than he has for a while. He made a putter change. I think that’s helped him a lot,” North explained. “I think his putting stroke is a little better and I think all that will help him win at Augusta.”"

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"“He knows what he’s going up against, completing the Slam here,” Strange added. “I think more than anything else, he has to, Rory has to calm down and just get the job done.”"