AUGUSTA, Ga. – When Rory McIlroy strode into Augusta National’s palatial press building his eyes immediately turned to an oversized television with a beaming image of the Northern Irishman from last year’s Masters.
With his arms raised and a smile etched across his face, McIlroy’s mind raced back to last year’s final round at the year’s first major and a magical finish that he capped with a bunker hole-out for birdie on the 72nd hole, good for a closing 64 and a runner-up finish to Scottie Scheffler.
As “head space” goes, the image was a perfect metaphor for where McIlroy begins another march to the career Grand Slam. “I walked away from the course and the tournament pretty happy with myself, as you can see on the screen over there,” he gestured.
McIlroy is the co-favorite this week for all the right reasons. He advanced to the semifinals at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play two weeks ago and figured he’s dialed in both his driver, with a shorter shaft, and putter, converting to a version of the model he used to win the 2011 U.S. Open and ’12 PGA Championship.
Full-field tee times from the 87th Masters Tournament
Statistically, he ranks among the top 10 on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained: off the tee, approach the green and tee to green, but that’s not why he’s in a good “head space.” This Masters, Rory’s 14th start, can’t be quantified by strokes gained or TrackMan data.
“I would say the majority are mental or emotional struggles rather than physical,” McIlroy said when asked the biggest challenge this week. “I’ve always felt like I have the physical ability to win this tournament. But it’s being in the right head space to let those physical abilities shine through.”
Part of the path to a better “head space” has been repetitions. In the last two weeks he’s played 81 holes at Augusta National, but to call those scouting trips would be a wild oversimplification. The search is always real at Augusta National, where history is celebrated alongside nonstop change, but that’s not really why Air Rory made regular trips from South Florida to Augusta Regional Airport in recent weeks.
“I think more than anything else, it’s fun. It’s fun to be here. It’s fun to play. It’s a treat,” McIlroy smirked. “I feel like you go around here, and whether you learn something new or not, it’s just a nice way to spend a day. There’s no real thinking behind playing more so than other years.”
To close the loop on the “head space” concept, McIlroy explained that he planned to spend time with renowned sports psychologist Bob Rotella Tuesday night, a sort of mental nip/tuck before the real fun starts.
McIlroy continues to search for the right formula to prepare for the Masters. Last year, he played the Texas Open the week prior and this year he took the week off after the WGC-Match Play. So far, the ultimate answer has alluded him but that’s not to say there have been wrong answers, only lessons.
He closed with rounds of 71-64 to tie for second last year, his best finish at Augusta National, but started the week with back-to-back 73s, which was not his best. Just twice in 14 starts has he started his week with a round in the 60s, compared to five opening rounds over par. Through trial and plenty of error, McIlroy is very aware of the challenge ahead.
“I think the best way for me to feel like I’m in a good head space is to be as prepared as I possibly can be, and I feel really prepared,” he said. “When you feel that way and you feel like you’ve done everything that you need to do, you sort of just get into a different level of comfort. I think I’m pretty much there.”
McIlroy doesn’t seem to be in the market for a confidence boost but if he was, it arrived early Tuesday when Tiger Woods, who played a practice round with McIlroy on Monday, was asked if Rory can win at Augusta National: “He will,” Woods said flatly.
McIlroy has heard it before. Since he first arrived at Augusta National as a curly haired phenomenon in 2009 there have been the constant whispers that he’s destined to don a green jacket, with his power and presence. He’s heard all the whispers and he’s also aware of history.
“They said the same thing about Ernie Els, Greg Norman,” he offered as a cautionary tale.
Expectations and even talent can only go so far, but being in a good “head space” is a refreshingly higher standard.
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