Rory McIlroy has opened up on his Masters struggles, LIV Golf, Tiger Woods and why he was too judgmental of his former Ryder Cup teammates.
Rory McIlroy has shared that his hopes of winning the 47th Masters were dashed due to his early fixation on the leaderboard.
Entering the 2023 Masters, McIlroy was filled with confidence, reminiscent of his younger self who had experienced a major setback in 2011.
Unfortunately, disaster struck as the Ulsterman followed a solid even par opening round with a disappointing 77, causing him to miss the cut for the second time in three years.
What started as a promising week ended with McIlroy hastily packing his bags and leaving Augusta National.
In 2024, when McIlroy returns to the iconic golf course, it will mark his 16th appearance at this revered venue.
During a lively conversation on Sky Sports’ The Overlap, he expressed his burning desire to achieve the career grand slam.
Interestingly, former Premier League stars, including Ian Wright, joined the discussion and Wright amusingly admitted that he switches off the broadcast if McIlroy isn’t in the running.
Furthermore, McIlroy playfully mentioned his annoyance when certain individuals gain access to exclusive areas at the Masters simply because they possess a green jacket.
McIlroy chimed in, saying, “Can you imagine how I must feel!?”
When asked about his approach to dealing with a rough start at the Masters, McIlroy elaborated, “It’s all about staying focused and being in the present moment, even though it may sound like a cliché. Both a good start and a bad start require that same mindset.”
He continued, “For instance, this year I had a decent start, shooting even par on the first day, which wasn’t too bad. But then, on the second morning, as I was on the first green, I noticed Brooks Koepka making his way to the eighth hole.
There was a large white scoreboard by the green, and I saw that he had reached an impressive 10-under, while I was still at even par.”
It’s just 19 holes into the tournament, but I can’t help but think, ‘Wow, I’m already 10 strokes behind, I need to step up my game.’
However, what has actually worked best for me is… I can’t control what others do, I can’t control the leaderboard. The biggest mistake I made that day was looking at the leaderboard because if I hadn’t known… the winning score ended up being 10-under.
According to McIlroy, he believes he does things at Augusta National that he wouldn’t normally do.
“Because of the nature of the event and all the pressure,” he explained. “I’m completely honest about it, and I need to embrace it instead of pushing it away.”
McIlroy mentioned that he plans to participate in more tournaments in early 2024 to prepare for the 48th Masters.
He also mentioned that he would be content even if he doesn’t win the tournament, as he is satisfied with his career accomplishments thus far.
“I never expected to achieve as much as I have,” he expressed.
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