If Rory McIlroy found winning The Masters a difficult feat, then perhaps the Northern Irishman won’t just like the challenge in store for him this time around.
Twelve months on from his nail-biting play-off victory over Justin Rose, McIlroy must surely have arrived on Augusta National with a spring in his step, nevermind the Green Jacket back around his shoulders.
But while the wait for McIlroy to finish his decade-long major drought is over, the 36-year-old now has a fresh opportunity to entrench his name further into the golfing history books.
Only Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966), Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2002) have managed to successfully defend their Masters title within the tournament’s 89-year history.
McIlroy could have his eyes firmly fixed on adding his name to that historic list, but an understated begin to the yr and an extended forged of in-form players will make that task just that little bit harder.
Ahead of the primary round, listed below are five players primed to disclaim McIlroy and take the Green Jacket off his shoulders on Sunday evening.
Bryson DeChambeau
After ending contained in the top 30 only once in his first six Masters appearances as knowledgeable, a T6 and T5 finish in his last two years is evidence that Bryson DeChambeau has left his ego on the door when attempting to tackle golf’s most original courses.
The large-hitting American wilted under the intense lights when paired with McIlroy in the ultimate round last yr, but he will certainly have learned from that have.
And with two wins from his last two starts over on LIV Golf, the two-time major champion is bang in form to redeem himself this time around.
DeChambeau may lack the touch and finesse of an archetypal Masters champion, however the 32-year-old’s brutal power off the tee and eye for the massive moment will certainly have him in and across the motion come Sunday afternoon.
Justin Rose
A 3-time runner-up at The Masters, Justin Rose’s sensible Sunday charge last yr, only to be denied by McIlroy, shows that he still has all the basics to contend at majors despite his age.
The 45-year-old has seven top-ten finishes on the Masters, and it appears his experience last yr has only hardened his belief that a second major may very well be just across the corner.
‘I’m very aware that I’ve had tough, tough losses here,’ he said. ‘But I also am aware that I enjoy this place. So I don’t must create a unique kind of feeling for me.
‘I hope it only boosts my belief that I can go ahead and do it. I feel like I’ve just about done what it takes to win. I just haven’t walked over the road.’
Robert MacIntyre
A disappointing finish eventually week’s Texas Open will sting for Robert MacIntyre, however the Scot has loads of cause for optimism heading into his fourth Masters appearance.
A fourth-place finish eventually month’s Players Championship, combined with a runner-up in last yr’s US Open, shows that the 29-year-old is greater than able to putting it together on the massive stage.
Augusta is a course that left-handers have tended to enjoy too, with Paul McGinley noting earlier this week: ‘Getting it across the corner on holes like 10 and 13 is lots easier to do with a cut as a left-hander and than it’s with a draw.
‘There’s definitely a correlation between left-handers having more success around there than they do on every other golf course or every other venue.’
MacIntyre will definitely hope that is still the case this week.
Scottie Scheffler
Finishes outside the highest 20 on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship last month were perhaps the primary signs shortly that the otherwise imperious World No1 could also be human in any case.
But Augusta National, where Scottie Scheffler has an outstanding track record, could well be the course to get the American back to his best.
The 29-year-old is already on the hunt for a 3rd Green Jacket after wins in 2022 and 2024, and his remarkable ball-striking, combined with exquisite touch across the green, will certainly have him in contention once more.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg has found major championship golf a tricky nut to crack, with the distinct exception of The Masters.
The Swede has 4 missed cuts in eight major starts, but has finished second and seventh in his two visits to Augusta National.
Razor-sharp off the tee and together with his irons, the 26-year-old clearly has the sport to suit this tournament, and a recent near miss eventually month’s Players may only make him hungrier to recover from the road this time around.
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