10 QUESTIONS FOR 2022
Q1 CAN RORY WIN HIS FIRST MAJOR IN EIGHT YEARS? WILL IT BE THE MASTERS FOR THE CAREER GRAND SLAM?
HAYES: It pains me to offer a negative answer to this question.
If an Aussie can’t win a major, I don’t think I’m alone in hoping that the Northern Irishman will add to the whirlwind four major crowns he racked up in a hurry at the start of the previous decade.
But the problem lies in that very sentence.
It’s now almost eight years since he breathed that rarefied air.
And while his best is still visibly good enough, it now doesn’t seem to last long enough under the fiercest pressure.
Sadly, this is particularly true at Augusta National where, since he melted down on the 10th tee in the final round of 2011, he’s been up and down like the Assyrian Empire.
In those heady days of 2014, it appeared he would take Tiger’s position as the game’s pre-eminent force – partly because of his immense talent and partly because he had his rivals bluffed.
Sure, there have been 13 top-10 finishes since. But realistically he has been in the mix just once in that time, but even then, didn’t really fire a shot late at Carnoustie while chasing Francesco Molinari.
I hope I’m wrong, I really do.
But the talent in the younger group is immense and they don’t yet have the skeletons in the major closet.
HUGGAN: This is a question that gets harder to answer with every passing season. Especially for the man himself. Rory McIlroy is a golfer who has already won four of golf’s most important events. He has been the No.1 for more than 100 weeks over the course of his 13-year professional career. Many believe him to be the most naturally talented player of his generation.
And yet…
When the Northern Irishman makes his way to Augusta National for what will be his 14th appearance in the Masters Tournament, almost eight years will have passed since McIlroy added that fourth major title to his burgeoning resume. While he clearly remains capable of winning at the highest level – to argue otherwise would be silly – it is reasonable to say that the number of uncertainties is growing.
Any hesitation only increases when one considers the possibility of the now 32-year-old McIlroy finishing first in the Masters and completing the career Grand Slam. This is a tournament in which he has never managed a top-three finish. This is a tournament in which the need to putt extremely well, especially from short range, is an absolute pre-requisite. Sadly, that sort of consistency on the greens isn’t exactly one of Rory’s strengths. On the other hand, this is a tournament where his peerless driving ability should be hugely beneficial. Long off the tee and in the right spot on the fairway is one of the most advantageous aspects of Alister MacKenzie’s strategic design.
Bottom line? The hope here is that the charismatic McIlroy does win a major in 2022. The bigger hope is that victory arrives at the Masters. But as my old Scottish granny used to say, “Ah huv ma doots” (I have my doubts).
I tend to agree with
