Paul McGinley believes that Rory McIlroy will be a strong contender at next week’s Masters but feels the Northern Irishman may need to clinch one of the other three majors first before donning a green jacket.
McIlroy’s form heading into the Augusta National has rarely been better with two ‘B’ game wins at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass fuelling encouragement that this might finally be the year he completes the career grand slam.
There is always pressure on McIlroy at the Masters because he can become just the sixth person to win all four major championships. But he has also been on a barren major run since 2014 and McGinley reckons that breaking his duck in one of the other three majors first might give him a batter chance at Augusta National.
“I think he will contend, we are seeing an evolution of Rory even though he is in his mid-30s now,” McGinley said at Golf Ireland’s season launch in Carton House.
“He doesn’t have to play his best to win. Early in his career and even up to 2-3 years ago it had to be vintage Rory if he was to win and I think we are seeing a more rounded player, he is able to scrap it around, control his ball flight better, get the ball in play when he’s not quite feeling it and he is able to win when he’s not playing well we saw it at Sawgrass he was 10th in ball striking, usually he is first or second.
“I think he will contend and what also gives me a bit of confidence is that his major competitors are not firing on all cylinders. Scottie is off his game, he looks a bit ratty doesn’t look as controlled as last year, Schauffele the same, Bryson hasn’t won for six months, Rahm hasn’t won on LIV this year, you don’t know what you’re going to get with Koepka.
“Eleven years is a hell of a long time for the player of his quality,” McGinley added in a conference call promoting NBC’s coverage of next week’s Masters.
“Obviously, the big miss is not having a Major championship, and I believe that could be a stepping stone here, and winning another Major first may well be the path he needs to win at Augusta National.
“Going into the first Major of the year and all the attention that comes with being at Augusta National, on top of trying to win your first Major in 11 years, on top of trying to complete the Grand Slam, is a lot.
“So maybe there’s a stepping stone needed first, and that will be to knock off one the other three Majors before he comes in here with that question taken care of.”
McIlroy has acquired the services of world renowned golf psychologist Bob Rotella who was a huge influence in the major victories of Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.
McGinley raved about Rotella’s impact and feels he will help ease the mental baggage for McIlroy of trying to complete the career grand slam and trying to end an eleven year major drought.
“Bob is brilliant at that he does he was the back bone of Pádraig’s major wins, he’s clever, he’s smart. It takes a lot for Rory to trust people and to let them into his inner sanctum and Bob is in there now and that’s a great thing. I think Bob is going to guide him through what are very choppy waters.
“Because not alone is he trying to become just the sixth person to win all four majors but he has also got the mental baggage of not having won a major in eleven years and for a guy who has been the most dominant player in that time in every other event it does bring baggage so that’s why I am happy to see Bob with him.
“There’s a plan going on behind the scenes. I believe he’s up again this week in Augusta. He may even be there today. He was there last week and he’s had so many runs at this.
“The difficulty is navigating all the pressure, the expectation, the press conferences, not bringing too much attention on himself, as much as he can deflect it, trying to get into a really calm head space
“And so I really do think that having Bob Rotella on his shoulder is a really important influence. There’s nobody who’s worked with more Major champions as a coach than Bob has done.”
Irish golf will have two rolls of the dice next week with Shane Lowry widely tipped as a potential green jacket winner. Now ranked 12th in the world, a career high ranking, Lowry has been in terrific form over the last eighteen months and McGinley thinks the Offaly man is a serious contender.
“The two big correlations in terms of winning at Augusta National is iron play and chipping and putting, Shane ranks really high in both. I know his putting comes in and out but his putting has been good and when he gets hot, he gets really hot.”
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