AUGUSTA — The opening round of the 89th Masters is in the books, with Justin Rose leading after a 7-under 65. Scottie Scheffler is three back after a steady 68, tied with Corey Conners and Ludvig Åberg.
For most of his opening round, Rory McIlroy figured to be in that mix. He was 4 under through 14 and in the fairway at the par-5 15th.
Then it all unraveled. The winner of last month’s Players Championship went long with his approach and rinsed the subsequent chip, leading to a double bogey. Two holes later, at the par-4 17th, he was long again with an approach and made a second double bogey—and that promising 4-under round was completely gone.
McIlroy parred 18 for an even-par 72, but those two damaging doubles beg the question of our SI Golf Masters roundtable:
Is Rory McIlroy's quest for the career Grand Slam over already?
Brian Giuffra, Minute Media VP of Betting Content: This year, absolutely. Forever, no, though I get the feeling his struggles at Augusta National have nothing to do with skill or preparation at this point. It’s simply in his head. One bad-but-not-horrible chip on 15 sent his round into a downward spiral. Tiger would never let that happen. Simply put, he’s pressing. But if he wins another major, I think that will take the pressure off and perhaps he can complete the Grand Slam another year. But he won’t break that streak at Augusta, and it certainly won’t happen this year.
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: Almost certainly. In a matter of two holes, McIlroy went from being right in the mix of the tournament to having to fight his way back—exactly the position you want to avoid. McIlroy so often finds himself behind and having to try and go low, a possible disaster at Augusta National. His doubles at the 15th and 17th holes dropped him to a tie for 27th. And only Tiger Woods—in 2005 and '19—has come back to win in the last 20 years after being outside of the top 10 through the first round. McIlroy is playing early and a 65 certainly gets him back in it. But it’s also a lot to ask.
John Pluym, SI.com Managing Editor: I should probably say no since I was the only person on our staff who was crazy enough to pick McIlroy to win this tournament. I also said McIlroy’s swing and his head were in a good place. For 14 holes in Round 1, I couldn’t have been more correct. But then the McIlroy we’ve all become accustomed to watching fold under pressure re-emerged on the 15th and 17th holes and he collapsed under a pair of double bogeys. So, yes, his quest for the career Grand Slam is over already. And you can bet that I won’t be predicting McIlroy to win another major this season and probably any other season.
Jeff Ritter, SI Golf Managing Director: Yes, he’s toast. He was sailing along so well, but those two holes seemed like a short-circuit and I don’t see how he can put it all back together, storm back and win. He still has three great major chances ahead, and the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow is especially in his wheelhouse. But McIlroy’s mojo continues to be off at Augusta.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Masters Roundtable: Debating Whether Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam Quest Is Over Already.
