The hardest walk at Augusta National is the one to the 1st tee. A venue and tournament that takes itself so seriously applies a heavy weight of expectation to competitors. This is totally phoney in a way, ridiculous in fact, but the Masters “thing” exists. Nobody feels that burden more acutely than Rory McIlroy, who on Thursday afternoon will begin his 11th attempt to march into the pantheon of golfing greats. Psychology matters in McIlroy’s quest to complete a career grand slam, not technical ability. It is the inches between McIlroy’s ears that are far more significant than 7,500 yards of picture-perfect golf course. Augusta’s great paradox is that beauty and splendour play such menacing tricks on the mind.
The theory of now or never in relation to McIlroy and the Masters is a prevalent one. He landed in Georgia with two wins in the calendar year, in itself a first. The 35-year-old won at Pebble Beach and Sawgrass while playing considerably short of his best, proof not only of his outrageous talent level but maturity. In a non-tribal environment, the foot traffic following McIlroy’s every move over Tuesday and Wednesday this week has been quite the sight.
An added layer to the McIlroy story is that so many people want him to reach his holy grail. Perhaps only when – and it is, for now, fair to say when – he gets there will McIlroy expand on the scale of his torment since a painful capitulation in the Masters of 2011. The extent of veneration towards McIlroy in a Green Jacket promises to be as spectacular as the outpouring of emotion from the man himself. More broadly, this sport would benefit from McIlroy glory. It has waited long enough for it.
More curious than the fact McIlroy has not prevailed at Augusta National since the trauma of 14 years ago is the fact he has not placed himself in pole position to do so. It would be genuinely intriguing to see how he reacts with, for example, a two-shot lead nine holes from home. The world No 2 rails against any suggestion the golfing gods owe him one. It was supposedly written in the stars that Greg Norman and Ernie Els would win the Masters. Neither ever did.
The problem with golf is that there is precious little opportunity to damage your fellow competitors. Muhammad Ali could thump George Foreman. Roger Federer could batter serves past Rafael Nadal. McIlroy could play fantastically well at Augusta and still fall short, courtesy of an opponent he is not in direct combat with. Yet peak McIlroy still takes quite some stopping. His demeanour this week is of a man perfectly comfortable with what he can produce over 72 holes.
The draw may not favour the four-time major winner. His Thursday tee time is in the fourth-from-last group, meaning umpteen decent scores are likely to have been posted before he strikes a ball in anger. McIlroy has spoken before of the tricky feeling of playing catch-up here. The flipside is that he has scope to study the precise challenge of round one at Augusta National before entering the fray. The quick turnaround between late Thursday and early Friday offers opportunity to lay down markers. McIlroy would relish a fast start; he has not broken 70 in a first round of the Masters since 2018.
Scottie Scheffler remains the man to beat. That much is patently obvious. The world No 1’s iron play is among the finest in the history of golf, a key strength at a course where approach shots have to be so precise. The record books suggest successfully defending a Masters is a troublesome project; only three golfers have achieved it. You could, though, whack Scheffler around the face with a wet kipper and receive next to no reaction. An uncluttered mind is one of his key attributes. The 28‑year‑old will pay no heed to the experiences of others. Going by his pre-tournament comments, hay fever may be the prime threat to him this week.
American golfers hold all four majors, a matter the European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will be keen to see change. McIlroy aside, there should be European faith in Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre and Ludvig Åberg. The Masters afforded Joaquin Niemann a special invite; it would be no shock to see the Chilean respond with a title charge.
Nine is the lucky number. Over the last 20 years, the champion has, on average, been playing in his ninth Masters. Notables in that group this time are Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Bryson DeChambeau. We are overdue a thrilling Masters Sunday. Tiger Woods and 2019 was the last occasion for genuine, jaw‑dropping excitement against the backdrop of azaleas. There has been no Masters playoff since 2017.
There have, as ever, been pre‑tournament peculiarities. Fred Ridley called a Monday press conference for a grand announcement regarding a project involving Woods, without the five‑time Masters champion turning up himself. This had the effect of making Augusta National appear smaller than Woods. Cameron Smith, the former Open champion, sent drives down the practice range on Wednesday wearing a suit jacket.
Ridley later reflected on the horrific impact of Hurricane Helene on the Augusta community before confirming an underground car park had been completed at this course between the tournaments of 2024 and 2025. A new player clubhouse will be fully operational by next year, offering facilities Ridley insisted will be “unlike anything in sport”. The haves, the have-nots.
The US is now a nation where so many have developed an obsession with foreign criminals. One of that very contingent, Ángel Cabrera, has been handed a Thursday morning tee time at the country’s most exclusive golf club. One can only ponder the madness of it all.
