Rory McIlroy is all ready to head to Augusta National, Georgia for the upcoming Masters Tournament. After concluding with the 2024 Valero Texas Open, the Northern Irishman was asked about his mental state before the first major. The 34-year-old stated that he was in a much better state than he was a few weeks ago.
He will be gearing up for his 16th Masters appearance this year. In the 15 starts at Augusta National, the four-time major winner has missed the cut thrice and has seven top-10 finishes. All he needs is a green jacket to complete his career grand slam.
After finishing third at the 2024 Valero Texas Open, Rory McIlroy spoke in a post-round interview at TPC San Antonio. When asked how he feels about his game and his mental state before the grand event in the coming week, the Northern Irishman said,
“I’m in a better spot than I was a few weeks ago. It was nice to see around like this today, nice to play a golf tournament where I’m obviously going to finish quite a few shots behind Denny and Akshay. But still I played pretty solid and in some tough conditions. And then whenever the course opened up for us a little bit today I was able to take advantage of it. So feeling good.”
Jordan Spieth Backs Rory McIlroy To Complete Career Grand Slam Before Him
Rory McIlroy has his eyes set on winning the Green Jacket this year, and he has been getting help from the legendary golf coach Butch Harmon . Just a few days back, his former agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler extended his support to the golfer in completing his career grand slam. McIlroy needs a win at the Masters this year to achieve his dream of getting a career grand slam; a laurel held by just five golfers till date: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Now, fellow PGA Tour pro Jordan Spieth has also gome ahead and backed him.
Spieth is also in line to complete a career grand slam. However, he needs a PGA Championship title to do so. According to Spieth, Augusta National would have been the best place for him to complete the slam as the PGA Championship changes venue year by year. As quoted by Sports Illustrated, he said,
“I wish Augusta was the course I need to complete the Slam with all the success I’ve had there, mine changes from year to year,” Spieth said, “Sometimes I think it sets up really well for me, sometimes not at all.”
Later on, Jordan Spieth backed Rory McIlroy to complete a career grand slam before him. He reasoned it by saying that the Northern Irishman has to win the green jacket at Augusta National. He feels that the course suits McIlroy a lot.
“However, I always thought Augusta set up well for Rory with his ball flight and shot shape. I think Augusta is a very athletic golf course where you see shots and shapes you don’t see the rest of the year. I’ve always been able to see the shapes of the greens. I see a lot of guys putting below the hole there, but that’s not my problem,” Spieth added.
The 2024 Masters kicks off on April 11 at Augusta National. This will be the 88th edition of this prestigious major tournament. Although Rory McIlroy is not the favorite to win, but he surely has the talent to become the new holder of the green jacket this year.
