• We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas from all at Golf Monthly. Thank you for sharing your 2025 with us!

Rory’s “birdie blitz” and Masters hopes

Sports_Fanatic said:
I just don't really understand your logic
Click to expand...

I think we’re perhaps entering hair splitting territory!

First, I didn’t actually say McIlroy had no chance, merely that I question whether he has it in him to string four good rounds together. It might just be three good rounds are good enough, but we all know McIlroy is never more than a missed 4-footer away from a bad run of holes which will derail any challenge. It’s happened too often now.

My “logic” is that, despite 29 birdies, he dropped as many shots in four rounds as the players occupying the top four finishing spots did combined.

I wasn’t questioning McIlroy’s standing on the world stage, merely expressing curiosity at so many observers heaping praise on his birdie blitz, whilst blindly ignoring the other side of the coin - he was dropping shots left, right and centre.

Sorry, I really didn’t think the point of my opening post was that obscure.
 
Of course he could win the Masters - anyone could. I don't think he will. He doesn't seem to have that drive that he had in his younger years, and his rounds go off the rails too easily. That's probably why a lot of people keep saying he needs a better caddy to keep him focused. I don't know if that's the answer or not.
 
Rory might have managed 29 birdies this week but even poor old Jordan Speith managed 25 and I wouldn't rate his chances of adding to his green jacket collection. I think the media just use the stat as a reason to generate a headline because they know anything Rory/Tiger related will get a reaction. Can Rory win the Masters? Of course he can, but then so can umpteen others.
 
Nice to see more of the good stuff even though it was another birdie fest for everyone. He's had too much hype and time to think about the Masters for the past decade, this might suit him that everything's more low key and plain weird. Always quite like it when he's a bit under the radar (relatively speaking) coming into majors as think that suits him, being front and centre like a Ryder Cup sometimes maybe doesn't get the best out of him. He'd be a great Masters champion and we'd all love to see him go back every year - seems nuts that Greg Norman basically played his last Masters at 47 (other than one seven years later).

Which is a long-winded way of saying Matsuyama wins by five.
 
Don't see why he can't win since its got the weakest field of all the majors.

Whether he can bring his 'A' game is a different matter but in this messed up year whats to say he won't win by 7 or 8 shots?
 
saving_par said:
Don't see why he can't win since its got the weakest field of all the majors.

Whether he can bring his 'A' game is a different matter but in this messed up year whats to say he won't win by 7 or 8 shots?
Click to expand...

It may be the smallest field in terms of numbers but not in terms of genuine contenders.
 
Kaz said:
That's an interesting distinction.

I wonder how often someone has won one of the other gentlemen's majors in a year they weren't invited to Augusta. Statto?
Click to expand...

With it being the first in the year then it’s very likely that anyone who won a major from nowhere would be in that list - Daly , Hamilton , Curtis , Lawrie etc
 
With the qualification criteria including top 50 in the OWGR and the winners of the other Majors for the preceding five years and The Players for three years it's hard to see too many genuine contenders missing out.

Obviously there may be odd exceptions but this can also be the case for the other championships.
 
Rory is a quality golfer but streaky and capable of playing three excellent rounds and chucking something far more mediocre (or worse at times). No doubt he has the game to be a challenger but I question his ability to string four major rounds together. The thing with McIlroy these days is if it starts to go wrong, then the head seems to go and he's lost the ability to grind a score out when not playing as well as he'd like.
 
robinthehood said:
Im looking forward to it, I hope he's paired with BDC, Rory can wear a hoodie while BDC drives every hole and sets a new coure record of 50
Click to expand...

Bryson should eat augusta up and spit it out if he’s on it ....his fairways on half the holes end up being wider than the rest of the field
 
Bryson has a pretty good short game too, as was seen at the US Open, traditionally the toughest greens on the rota.. that's just what is needed at Augusta.

He has the potential to eat it up.
 
Kaz said:
I've got back to 2011 before I found one.... and there were 2 that year.

Keegan Bradley won the PGA Championship and Darren Clarke won the Open - neither were in the field for the Masters.
Click to expand...
And with all due respect to them you would have to say that neither has ever really looked like repeating their Major wins.

Would they, therefore, have been genuine contenders at The Masters that year?

Probably not and to me the big test in these events is to overcome those that are expected to contend. It's difficult to plan or prepare to deal with the unexpected i.e. one off winner.
 
Kaz said:
I don’t think you can say someone who won a major couldn’t have contended at a different major the same year.

And that’s just the extreme. In truth anyone who contended at one of the other majors could just as easily have contended at Augusta.
Click to expand...
I agree that it is impossible to be definite but neither player has ever been a contender either before or since as far as I can recall.
 
MetalMickie said:
I agree that it is impossible to be definite but neither player has ever been a contender either before or since as far as I can recall.
Click to expand...

Clarke had a 2nd and a 3rd at the Open before he won it and Bradley finished 3rd in the PGA the year after he won it and also has a 4th in the US Open.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top