The story continues from year to year: Rory McIlroy intends to win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam but without success. The Northern Irishman attracts huge attention every year when it comes to the Masters. Media outlets place enormous pressure on the 34-year-old golfer, expecting him year after year to make a breakthrough.
Playing under conditions where there are high expectations of you, and many believe you ‘must’ win, is not easy. Rory, although he changed his mindset before the start of this Masters, knew that a tough challenge awaited him.
He didn’t want to talk much about expectations, entering calmly this year. McIlroy didn’t shine this year and was far from his goal. Despite everything, he seems happy and has no intention of giving up on his dream in the coming years.
“This place is… It’s an amazing golf tournament, I’m super grateful to be able to come back here every year and compete in it. It hasn’t been my year this year, but I’m going to keep coming back until it is my year.”- Rory McIlroy said, as quoted by Irish Golfer!
McIlroy expressed that his performance at the Masters was consistent with his overall play this year. He clarified that it wasn’t necessarily a weaker performance compared to his recent form but acknowledged the need to improve his game as he progresses through the rest of the season.
Judging by his statements, McIlroy’s priority is to improve his form, as he hasn’t been particularly impressive since the beginning of this year. Fans didn’t have high expectations for the Masters either, considering his form.
McIlroy expressed uncertainty about his performance, stressing that while he felt his game was decent and he managed it effectively, Friday presented significant challenges, resulting in a five-shot deficit that placed him in a tough spot for the weekend. He attributed some of the difficulty to the tough conditions, particularly the firm and crusty greens, which made it difficult to approach the pins closely and score birdies. He stated that once a player falls behind by seven or eight shots heading into the weekend at the Masters, it becomes challenging to recover from such a deficit.
Rory McIlroy at The Masters 2024© Andrew Redington/Getty Images Sport
McIlroy indicated that although his recent performances haven’t been catastrophic, they haven’t been particularly great either, typically resulting in finishes around 20th or 25th place. He stressed that while he sees some aspects of his game coming together, there are still important areas where he feels there’s a considerable gap to bridge. He described the current state of his game as a bit of a cycle: just as he starts to address one issue, another one arises, making it difficult to achieve overall consistency.
Rory McIlroy on the issues during the Masters
McIlroy spoke about specific issues he faced during the Masters. Before his appearance, he sought advice from influential figures in the world of golf, such as Butch Harmon. However, despite the advice, Rory wasn’t particularly brilliant. The 34-year-old golfer expected to be more precise, but unfortunately, things didn’t go ideally for him
“Just a little bit of control, I think, with the ball-striking, especially in those sorts of winds. It really exposes any weaknesses that you may have. That Friday definitely exposed a few things.
As the golf course changes here, you just have to be so precise, and I wasn’t quite precise enough this week.”- he continued.
Rory McIlroy hopes for brighter days ahead in the future. Interestingly, almost 10 years have passed since Rory won one of the Majors. He emphasized that he doesn’t want to be analytically inclined at this moment. Rory McIlroy isn’t happy with his form, but he also states that he doesn’t think it’s important to make wholesale changes. He intends to continue playing a lot, but if there is a need for significant changes, he knows what he will focus on his golf swing. He believes it could be a process of six months to a year. McIlroy didn’t talk about the mental aspect of the game, but we have no doubt that he will work on that as well. It’s clear during his performances in the Majors that there is a certain barrier he needs to overcome.
The 34-year-old golfer amused many by stating that during the process of changing his golf swing, he will continue to play, considering that some might think he wouldn’t participate in any tournaments. The focus will be on the technical aspect, and he won’t be driven primarily by results. Rory is aware that he needs to make some changes in the upcoming period if he wants to achieve his goal. The next few weeks could be crucial for him, as this golfer could bring about some changes in his career.
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