The Masters 2020: how Rory McIlroy can finally avenge 2011

Rory McIlroy had the green jacket in his grasp in 2011 at the Masters. But it slipped away and he’s been chasing it since. That ends this year.

Rory McIlroy should already have a green jacket. He was so close to winning the 2011 Masters, he virtually had one arm into the blazer given to each year’s champion.

McIlroy had the lead with just nine holes to play. But we all remember what happened from there. His tee shot on the 10th went to an area that may have never been seen on a Masters broadcast before. He struggled his way to a triple bogey on the hole, lost the lead and never recovered from there.

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That’s a memory that McIlroy still has. Some nine years later, he still needs just the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. Yet it seems to be the one tournament he just can’t win.

He’s been close. The last six years, McIlroy has finished T8, fourth, T10, T7, T5 and T21. So it’s not like he’s not in the mix. He just can’t seem to get over the hump.

McIlroy knows the 2011 Masters is the one that got away.

That one has stayed with him as he has gone on to have an amazing career. He has won 28 tournaments as a pro, including four major championships. Those include the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 PGA Championship, the 2014 Open Championship and the 2014 PGA Championship.

Notice two things there. One, after blowing the Masters in April of 2011, McIlroy bounced back in June to win his first major championship title. And he did so in dominating fashion, beating Jason Day by a whopping eight shots.

Secondly, notice that McIlroy has not won a major championship in over six years. That’s way too long for a player of his talent. That will also be a motivating factor for McIlroy this week.

Another factor that could benefit McIlroy this year is the weather. It’s supposed to rain all week at Augusta National, which could make for some difficult shots out of the second cut. That’s where someone who can craft all kinds of shots, like McIlroy, could have an advantage. Plus, having grown up in Northern Ireland, rain is not something he minds.

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There are a lot of factors in McIlroy’s favor this week. And he appears to be ready to finally avenge what happened at Augusta in 2011. On Sunday, look for Tiger Woods to place the green jacket on McIlroy for the first time, which will be appropriate as McIlroy joins Woods, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen as the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam.