Rory McIlroy has been dejected enough times when exiting on to Washington Road via Magnolia Lane that he is entitled to savour a sense of harmony after leaving Augusta National this year.
If the latest staging of the Masters ultimately belonged to Scottie Scheffler, it was a tournament dominated by other themes. Fascination regarding Tiger Woods’s every move was clear by the depth of galleries and television ratings. And when those around the 18th green roared for McIlroy’s hole out from a bunker, it was the loudest celebration of day four. That Scheffler four-putted his final hole played a part in that scenario but we had already been served a reminder of the fervour with which people want McIlroy to regain his major-winning touch. McIlroy’s own display of emotion resonated; he had given himself a chance to win the Green Jacket as his bunker shot rolled in.
Augusta National offered evidence of just how spellbindingly good McIlroy in full flow is to watch. It should not be seen as criticism of Scheffler – a man in extraordinary form – to point out that he cannot move the needle to anything like the same degree as the Masters runner-up.
McIlroy’s 64 on Sunday was his lowest Masters round. It was a score which went way beyond core statistics. McIlroy, who speaks of building up a positive “memory bank”, demonstrated he can tame Augusta. He challenged seriously for the first major of the year; cynics may bemoan the belated nature of that but McIlroy was ultimately the only real threat to Scheffler. Moreover, there is now validation to McIlroy’s recent work, including reacquainting with his old coach, Michael Bannon.
“It’s no good feeling like your game is in good shape, finishing 30th every week and saying you’re on the right path,” McIlroy said. “Every now and again it’s nice to have results like this just to reaffirm that what you’re doing are the right things. The only person to beat me in the Masters is the guy that’s currently the best golfer in the world.
“I’m on the right track and doing the right things. It was just nice to feel that buzz in a major championship again. It’s been a while since I felt that. I think the last time was trying to make the cut at an Open Championship [at Portrush in 2019]. So this was certainly better than that. I’m excited going forward. I don’t think it just sets me up for next year at the Masters. It sets me up for the rest of the year. I feel like my game has been sort of quietly pretty good without the results to really show for it.”
This marks a pretty sharp turnaround. Last year, including at the Masters, McIlroy was clearly caught in a state of technical flux. “I feel good with where my golf swing is,” he said. “I’m not over-analysing it, not looking at the video too much and it feels pretty good. The ball is basically doing what I want it to do more times than not. That’s a good thing.”
Collin Morikawa, the Open champion, was among those to laud McIlroy for his fourth round. Morikawa had the best view, as the 32-year-old’s playing partner. “He was phenomenal,” Morikawa said. “I have always admired Rory’s game, it is completely different to mine. I think he drove it 380 yards at the 2nd.”
If McIlroy must rue the wait of 51 weeks before an Augusta return, he is right to be upbeat for the remainder of 2022. The Open Championship at St Andrews, a venue he adores, is on the horizon. He has no competitive experience at Southern Hills, which stages the US PGA Championship next month, but is typically fond of the course setup in that major.
Generally, if not exclusively, McIlroy has been hampered by slow starts in the game’s biggest four individual events. In the last two he won, the USPGA and Open Championships of 2014, the Northern Irishman started with rounds of 66.
“You try to come out of the blocks too fast and that’s when you can start to make mistakes, especially on golf courses that are as treacherous as Augusta or the places that we play in major championships,” McIlroy said.
“It is nice to get off to good starts and be up the leaderboard early because I feel the earlier you get up there, almost the easier it is to stay there in some ways. But at the end of the day you still have to bide your time and play your way in. I’ve always known that I can do it. I’ve played well enough around Augusta, maybe just haven’t strung four rounds together like this. But I’ve always known I have the game to win.
“I’ll have major championships where I’ll start fast and have chances, like the US Open last year and I’ll have things like this Masters where I’ll get off to a slow start. But there’s always a point in the tournament where you have a chance to make your move. It could be a third round or second round or whatever. At the end of the day we all have to play 72 holes and the 72nd hole is just as important as the first one. You just have to treat it like that.”
It just so happens that McIlroy’s most recent 72nd hole delivered the kind of moment which proved he is no ordinary golfer.
