Throughout the history of golf, there have been just a handful of players that have held the career Grand Slam, with Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods claiming all the coveted Majors at some point in their career.
At The Masters, Rory McIlroy once again has the chance to include his name in that list, with the four-time Major winner needing to add a Green Jacket to his CV to be the seventh player in history to achieve the feat. Having come close on many occasions, it seems that it's just a matter of time before he does so, and I'm not the only one to think that; Tiger Woods claims "it's just a matter of time."
Speaking at a press conference prior to The 2023 Masters, Tiger was asked about whether Rory will, indeed, add his name to the role of honor, with the five-time Green Jacket winner responding: "He will. It's just a matter of time. Rory has the talent. He has the game. He has all the tools to win here. It's just a matter of time. A lot of things have to happen to win at this golf course. A lot of things have to go right. I think Rory has shown over the years he's learned how to play this golf course, and you just have to understand how to play it."
Tiger went on to add: "He's been there. Last year he made a great run, put himself there. But I think that it's just a matter of time; whether it's this year or next or whenever it comes, he will get it done, and he will have a career Grand Slam. It's just what year it will be; it will definitely happen."
As of writing, there are a number of players who sit just one Major away from a career Grand Slam, with Jordan Spieth needing to win the PGA Championship, whilst Phil Mickelson has famously missed out on the US Open a number of times to claim his own career Grand Slam. Lefty has come close on multiple occasions and has, in fact, finished runner-up six times!
So, will McIlroy complete the feat this week at Augusta National? Well, if last year is anything to go by then he has a very good chance. After firing a 64 in the final round to finish in second, his best ever result at the tournament, McIlroy revealed that it was the "first time I’d ever left Augusta happy."
Along with the confidence-boosting result, McIlroy is set to follow the calm, but conservative, approach of Tiger Woods, with the 33-year-old believing that it will be a key difference to help him claim the Green Jacket that has so far eluded him.
Speaking at his own press conference, McIlroy stated: “I was nine or 10 back of Scottie going into the last day and freewheeled and shot 64, and it would be great to have that feeling every single time you went out there and played.
“It doesn’t quite work that way, but the more I can get myself into the mindset, playing free, playing loose, not letting this place get you tentative, which it can do at times and what I’ve let it do to me over a number of years – yes, that’s the best way to get yourself around Augusta."
