AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | Harboring hopes when he arrived Tuesday of finally winning the green jacket he’s long seemed fitted for, Rory McIlroy left Augusta National on Sunday again disappointed for the 16th time.
He's still searching for his first major victory in nearly 10 full years and a Masters title to complete the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy never really got himself into the mix at the 88th Masters. He finished in the red with a 1-under 71 in the first round despite playing the par-5s in even par, but a second-round 77 in the high winds on Friday proved to be his undoing. Unlike two years ago when he stormed from starting the day 11 behind Scottie Scheffler to runner-up with a Sunday 64, he mustered no such rally from the same place this time and finished 15 behind.
“I don’t really know what to say,” McIlroy said after a final-round 73 that included a four-putt bogey on 13 left him tied for 22nd at 4-over. “Just sort of felt like my game was OK and managed it pretty well, but obviously Friday was a really tough day, and losing five shots sort of put me in a pretty difficult position going into the weekend.
“Then the conditions were pretty tough. The greens are crusty and firm and hard to get the ball super close and hard to make a ton of birdies. Once you get seven or eight back going into the weekend here, it’s hard to make up that ground.”
“I really feel like I can sort of play my way into form here over these next few weeks.”
RORY McILROY
McIlroy had a run of four consecutive top-25s in PGA Tour events before his third-place finish in Texas last week. This Masters result is consistent with his recent form.
“I guess it’s more the same of what I’ve shown this year,” he said. “It’s not as if it’s been a down week in comparison to the way I’ve been playing. It’s just a matter of me trying to get my game in a bit better shape going towards the rest of the season.
“All these disappointing weeks are 20ths, 25ths,” said the Northern Irishman, who holds four major titles among his 24 PGA Tour victories but no triumphs since last year’s Scottish Open.
“They're not terrible weeks by any stretch, but there's a lot of room for improvement. I’m close in some ways, but then I feel quite far away in others. Once I get one thing, sort of put that to bed, then another thing pops up, and it's just one of those at the minute.”
McIlroy has a busy schedule ahead, playing this week in the RBC Heritage for only the third time and teaming with Ireland’s Shane Lowry in the Zurich Classic the week after. A one-week break precedes the Wells Fargo and PGA Championship on courses where he has won before: Quail Hollow and Valhalla, respectively.
“I really feel like I can sort of play my way into form here over these next few weeks,” he said.
Scott Michaux