Five things Rory needs to do to win the Green Jacket

Published:

We reveal where McIlroy really needs to improve if he wants to claim a Green Jacket this April.

Rory

1. Find eight shots on the par 5’s

Across the whole of last season, Rory was one of the best on tour when it came to par 5s; his 4.55 average on them was bettered only by four players. When it came to the Masters, however, he was level par on them for the week. Bearing in mind that he is one of the world’s best drivers, and the fact that the worst par-5 scorer on tour averages 4.85 across a season (DA Points has that dubious honour), level par for the week is a pretty shocking return. Bubba beat Rory by eight shots on the four par 5s last year – the same difference between their overall scores at the end of play.

 

 

 

 

Rory

2. Beat Bubba’s driving accuracy

Everyone remembers Bubba Watson blasting 340-yard bombs through trees on his way to his victories and assumes he spends more time in the woods than Winnie the Pooh. But he hit more fairways than Rory on each of the first three days of the tournament last year. Rory doesn’t need to find the short grass every time – Trevor Immelman (2008) was the last winner to rank in the top-30 for driving accuracy – but life is a lot easier when your ball isn’t rattling around in trees and local residents’ gardens.

 

 

 

 

Rory

3. Don’t shoot worse than 74

“Seems like every year I come here I throw a bad nine holes out there,” says McIlroy, and he’s not wrong. He’s shot a round of 77 or higher in each of the last five Masters, including the 80 that dropped him from leader to 15th in 2011 and a third-round 79 that killed his chances in 2013. Even though he scraped past the cut last year, a second-round 77 meant he was always struggling to get back into contention. Bubba’s worst scores in his two victories were a 74 last year and a 71 in 2012. Adam Scott’s worst in 2013 was 72, while Schwartzel’s 2011 win didn’t include anything above 71.

 

 

 

 

Rory

4. Improve 18.6% from the sand

Rory only saved par once from the sand at the 2014 Masters (from four attempts). The field average was 43.6%, while Rickie Fowler found the sand six times and walked out with par or better on every single one of them, helping him secure a T5 finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Rory

5. Hole 0.13 putts more

Rory took an average of 1.74 putts per hole last year, leaving him ranked 75th of the 97 players when it came to putting, and third-worst of everyone who made the cut. He and Bubba only had two three-putts each, but Bubba’s putts per hole of 1.61 gives him a nine-shot advantage over Rory over the course of 72 holes. Rory finished eight shots off the pace, so if he’d merely matched Bubba on the greens, he’d have won by a shot.

 

 

 

 

 

Rory talks to TG:

“The final round in 2011 (he shot 80 when he was leading) was the most important day of my career, bar none. If that hadn’t happened to me, who knows where I would have been. I learnt so much from that day; what I shouldn’t do when I’m in that situation again. You learn way more from those days than you do from victories.”

“I think one area of my game I could probably get better is my wedge play from 80 to 130 yards. I do leave myself a lot of shots from that distance. If it saves me one or two strokes a tournament, it could make a big difference.”

“I’ve never really thought far ahead to be honest. I’ve just taken it week‑by‑week, year by year. Did I think I’d be sitting here having achieved what I have? Probably not. So in a way, I’ve exceeded my expectations.”

“I’m going to go to Augusta with a lot of expectation and a lot of hype, and one thing I need to do is try to handle that. I know Augusta is a good course for me and I have to beat the same guys I beat week-in, week-out. That gives me confidence, knowing I can handle this sort of pressure.”

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