Rory McIlroy is the man to beat at Augusta National this year according to the three honourary starters.
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson have 11 Masters wins between them, so they know a thing or two about what it takes to win the Masters, and they fielded questions from the press after getting the 2025 tournament underway.
In a two-part question, the three legends were asked who they thought would win this year’s Masters, and who they would like to see win and the answer was unanimous.
“I think Rory McIlroy will win the Masters this year, and I hope he does because it would give golf a great boost to have another winner of the Grand Slam,” said Player, who was first to answer. “He has the best swing in golf without a question. He’s the fittest golfer. He does a dead lift of 400 pounds. I don’t know if you’re aware of what a dead lift is. 400 pounds. If you do 100 pounds, it’s exceptional.
“He went to Jack for advice on how to play this golf course. Nobody knows better than Jack. And I think timing in life, he’s had his adversities, his opportunities to win majors and let them slip. I think his time is right.
“I think it’s just the right time for him to win now. The golf course — there’s no golf course that suits a man better than it does for Rory.”
Watsons answer was a little more succinct, but he too picked McIlroy as the man to beat, but clarified that it was an intuitive reaction.
“I just have a gut feeling that Rory is the guy that’s going to win this week,” Watson said. “That’s the bottom line. That’s my gut feeling.”
Nicklaus, whose six Masters wins remains the record, spoke last and he explained that in a recent sit down with McIlroy they’d dissected McIlroy’s gameplan to tackle the famed Georgian course.
“Well, ditto. Okay, move on,” he joked, before adding: “I think the same as you two guys. I think it’s about time that Rory won. I sat down with Rory last week and we had lunch, and we were talking, and I said, Rory, I know you prepared for Augusta; tell me how you’re going to play the golf course.
“We went through it shot for shot. And he got done with the round, and I didn’t open my mouth. And I said, well, I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.
“The discipline to do that is — the discipline is what Rory has lacked in my opinion. He’s got all the shots. He’s got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game.
“But if you look, go back and see his history the last few years, he gets to a place a lot of times an 8 or a 7 pops up, and that keeps you from getting to where he needs to go. I’m a big fan of Rory’s and I like Rory a lot, so that’s what I think.”
The Golden Bear went on to suggest that it’s going to be between the top two players in the world rankings on Sunday.
“But I think obviously Scottie Scheffler is just coming back in again, he’s a defending champion, there’s nobody playing any better in the game than Scottie,” he said. “Between the two of them, I think you’re going to find your winner.”
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