If you’re asking the golf world who the “current best player to not win the Masters is,” the answer is almost certainly going to be Rory McIlroy! The electrifying World No. 2 has already claimed four majors in his illustrious career, with his last in 2014. Just imagine the thrill of a win at Augusta — this would catapult him into an elite group as the sixth golfer ever to achieve a career grand slam! And with the 2025 Masters coming to an end in just 6 days, he might soon join the list.
That was the recent topic of conversation at the 5 Clubs between Taylor Zarzour, Ron Green Jr., and the host, Gary Williams. Their first discussion revolved around the changes made on the par-5 13th (Azalea) and 15th (Firethorn) and Rory McIlroy. Azalea’s 2023 changes saw the tee moved back 35 yards, Firethorn saw tees moved back 20 yards, and the fairway re-contoured. But what about Rory McIlroy, who still needs a Green Jacket to achieve his Career Grand Slam? Zarzour hands him a warning. “But if I’m Rory McIlroy who has never won a green jacket, don’t play yourself out of the Tournament on Thursday. He traditionally has struggled on Thursday with a scoring average that is over par.”
If you’re looking at McIlroy’s scoring average in the last 10 appearances, the concern makes sense. In these appearances, McIlroy has had a scoring average of 72.2 (four rounds under par) in the first round. The second round is slightly worse with 72.4 (five rounds under par). Of course, you cannot win the Masters on Thursday or Friday, but you might end up not making the cut.
Gary Williams poses an interesting question: What if Rory McIlroy wins the Masters? Ron Green Jr. shared his part of the conversation, stating that he is sure that at least “95% of the audience wants Rory McIlroy to win this Tournament.” He continued by saying, “You know, it’s hard to think Rory’s going to be the guy standing outside the ropes under the tree when the other guys are running. I still think he’s going to do it, I mean he was born for a green jacket.”
Plus, a win at the 2025 Masters will add him to an exclusive list of the only five golfers who have ever completed a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, and Gary Player. This feat will eclipse all other Masters wins, except, of course of the golfers we have already mentioned!
Rory McIlroy’s average score by round in his last 10 Masters appearances.
R1: 72.2, four rounds under par
R2: 72.4, five rounds under par
R3: 70.1, seven rounds under par
R4: 69.3, six rounds under par
You can’t win the tournament on Thursday or Friday, but you can lose it… pic.twitter.com/KWFGKN28SE
— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) April 8, 2025
Of course, when you’re looking at Rory McIlroy this season, you have to give him a nod for his performance. He is in excellent form heading into The Masters, with two wins and two top-5 finishes in his last six tournaments. Plus, this is the first time he has won twice before the Masters in his entire career. But, it is undeniable that he struggles with the greens at Augusta National, often missing putts he typically makes elsewhere. However, McIlroy feels quite confident this time.
Rory McIlroy is confident his putt game is improving this season
“He hits the ball so long and he drives the ball pretty darn straight. Rory’s thing with Augusta is he has to make putts. If you don’t make putts here you can’t win. These are the most difficult set of greens on Tour,” shared Jack Nicklaus in 2016 when he was asked what Rory McIlroy needed to win the Masters. So, let’s take a brief look at McIlroy’s putts. During his games at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy can definitely lower his scores by improving his putting. His average? 29.25 putts per round, higher than recent winners. For instance, Scottie Scheffler averaged 27.25 and 27.5 putts in his Masters wins in 2024 and 2022, respectively. However, is it all bad for Rory McIlroy outside of it? According to McIlroy, no.
“I’m a better putter. I’m better around the greens. I can flight my ball better in the wind. My ability to shape shots both ways,” said McIlroy after winning his second title this year at The 2025 PLAYERS Championship. This season, McIlroy’s putting has significantly improved, ranking 10th in the Strokes Gained: Putting. Consequently, this is up from 59th in 2024. This improvement played a crucial role in his two wins this season, where he used his putter 109 times at The PLAYERS and 108 times at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM.
Additionally, the golfer visited Augusta National ahead of the Texas Children’s Houston Open last month. This was done to familiarize himself with the greens and the 18 holes. Will that help Rory McIlroy achieve his career Grand Slam this year? After all, he does seem strong.
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