Tiger Woods has claimed Rory McIlroy will “definitely” win the Masters as the five-time champion admitted this could be his final appearance at Augusta.
A Green Jacket has long eluded McIlroy despite his array of accolades in golf, having won every other major on at least one occasion and regularly reigning atop the world rankings.
Fans across the world cast their eyes to Augusta National this week in anticipation of the 2023 Masters, wondering if this will be the year McIlroy ends his drought in Georgia. One who remains calm over the matter is Tiger Woods, who isn't in any doubt whatsoever that his friend is merely playing the waiting game.
“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," Woods said.
“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.
“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.”
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Next year's PGA Championship will mark the decade anniversary of McIlroy's most recent major title, a milestone he'll hope to avoid by adding to his collection again in 2023. The 33-year-old has finished among the top 10 in seven of the last nine editions of the Masters, though a disastrous showing in 2021 saw him fail to make the cut at Augusta for the first time in more than a decade.
Woods made the weekend a year ago, only 14 months after surviving a horror car crash - and has played only one event on the PGA Tour this year since missing the Open.
Asked if his 25th Masters appearance could be his last, he said: “Yes. Last year I didn't know if I was going to play again at that time. For some reason everything kind of came together and I pushed it a little bit and I was able to make the cut, which was nice.
"Yeah, I don't know how many more I have in me. So just to be able to appreciate the time that I have here and cherish the memories.
“Mobility, it's not where I would like it, but I'm very lucky to have this leg; it's mine. Yes, it had been altered and there's some hardware in there, but it's still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough. The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. I understand that. That's why I can't prepare and play as many tournaments as I like, but that's my future, and that's okay. I'm okay with that.”
