Rory McILroy has been great in almost all the major championships, he has taken it over the past decade.
But, remarkably, his drought continues.
McILroy entered the masters this week more than 3,800 days Since his last major championship victory, who returned to the 2014 PGA championship. It was over 10 years ago.
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Since this victory – his fourth major victory in four years – McILroy has accomplished almost everything that is possible in the golf world. He reached 28 victories on the PGA Tour, and he essentially became the face of the League in the middle of his brief fight against Liv golf. He was also a basic food on the international scene, and even helped launch a new inner league alongside Tiger Woods. But for any reason, he does not seem to break into the major championships. For better or for worse, this is how the success of the world of golf is measured.
“In recent years, I have had the chance to win some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world, and that has not happened entirely,” he said. “But life is going on. You dust yourself and start again.”
McILroy is in a unique position this year at the Masters. He has already won the PGA Tour twice this season, which he never did before the masters of his career, including in the players' championship last month. He did not miss a cup in his five departures, and his worst finish this season was a T17 race at Genesis Invitational in February. He is n ° 2 in the official global classification of golf and probably plays as well as ever in his career.
And yet, in the masters of this year – the only adult he needs to finish the great career slam – the question remains: when will he win n ° 5?
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It is not that he did not get closer. In fact, he has had 21 top-10 in the majors since his last victory, including eight in his last 12 departures. It is not something on which he tries to concentrate.
“These are just stories. This is noise,” said McILroy. “He just tries to block this noise as much as possible. I have to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments that I play throughout the year.
“Listen, I understand the story and the noise, and there is a lot of anticipation and accumulation in this tournament every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my work.”
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A victory this week would be historic, but McILroy must overcome what is starting to look like a curse that becomes more and more difficult to break. Here is an overview of his biggest major championship sorrows since his last big victory.
Last major victory: PGA 2014 PGA championship
Let's start with the last major victory of McILroy, who came to the Valhalla Golf Club in 2014. Then 25, McILroy was in the middle of an incredible golf section. He won the British Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in consecutive departures, then went out and dominated the field for most of the week in Kentucky to claim his second career Wanamaker trophy.
McILroy has finished 16 within the week, a shot in front of Phil Mickelson, and only became the fourth player in the past 100 years to win four majors at 25 or less.
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McILroy won four majors over a period of four years at the time, and seemed to be an ideal pace to continue to accumulate victories. This, in one way or another, has not happened.
The last victory of the major Rory McILroy championship returned to the 2014 PGA championship (Images David Cannon / Getty)
(David Cannon via Getty Images)
Early ignition-19 early
This section, although there was certainly chances, was not too frustrating – although it was probably due to the fact that it was not so far from his last major victory.
McILroy, after winning two majors in 2014, finished fourth at the Masters and T9 at the US Open before withdrawing from Open British with an ankle injury. However, on his return the following summer, McILroy made a three -year race where he finished T5 or better at the open.
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His best arrival there arrived in 2018, when he finished tied for the second – two fire strokes from Francesco Molinari.
In the United States, McILroy finally broke three consecutive years of missed cuts at the US Open in 2019 with a T9 finish. He also had four top 10 consecutive to the Masters, but only one was really so close.
McILroy posted a 65 on Saturday at the Masters in 2018 on Saturday, which was his best round over the years and brought him into the final twinning with the possible winner Patrick Reid. It was by far his best blow to the big chelem in career, but he collapsed. McILroy hit only eight greens that day and pulled 2 against 74 – which was one of the worst rounds on the ground. He ended up finishing six in front in T5. A respectable finish on paper, but undoubtedly a missed opportunity.
Rory McILroy played his way in the final group in 2018, but he could not follow Patrick Reed. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
(Patrick Smith via Getty Images)
Post-Liv golf course
After the chaos which was the first days of the Battle of the Golf-Pog tour of Liv, McILroy appeared ready to make a legitimate push to put an end to his major period of drought. These losses are much, much more painful than those who came immediately after his victory in the 2014 PGA championship.
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2022 masters
McILroy did almost everything on Sunday in Augusta National in 2022. He carded an 84 under the age of 64, which marked his best score in one round during the event, and he had six birdies and an eagle without a single Bogey on his dashboard. He even moved away from the bunker to end his day.
But McILroy's tour came far too late. It was his only round of the week that broke 70, and he still ended up with three shots of Scottie Scheffler. It was not necessarily heartbreaking – McILroy said after it was the “first year for a long time” that he had left the masters feeling happy – but it was the closest that McILroy ended up finishing the big career chelem.
2022 British Open
McILroy blew it in 2022, which would not only have been a historic finish at St. Andrews' old course, but also ended a major major season. McILroy, tied for the head after 54 holes, held an advance two shots of the final turn. He struck all the Greens in regulation this Sunday, and had three superb looks on Birdie on the first nine, but he just stopped.
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While he transported the arrival with a 20-five of 70, Cam Smith flew in front. He made five consecutive birdies to jump the classification to win the victory while McILroy slipped in third. Although this is the fourth Top 10 from McILroy to a major in 2022 – he finished T5 at the US Open and eighth in the PGA championship – he could not find a victory.
2023 US Open
The loss of McILroy at Los Angeles Country Club was incredibly frustrating. But, like the masters the previous year, He didn't hurt anything. His problem was just that he had left the chances of Birdie there.
McILroy opened the final round with a Birdie, then displayed a 70 peer-default to wrap the Open of the United States-which just made him a blow behind Wyndham Clark, who won his first major championship. Mciroy left several short sips of Birdie, one of which was only 20 inches less from the cup at the last hole which would have linked Clark and would have potentially forced qualifying series.
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Although it is not as dramatic as his other major losses, McILroy left a gold opportunity in Los Angeles.
2024 US Open
This loss, a year later, was much more frustrating. McILroy almost joined the whole way to the return of a big deficit To catch Bryson Dechambeau last summer in Pinehurst. But he missed two putts inside only 4 feet in his last three holes to leave the door open for Dechambeau, who ended up winning his second US Open title.
Mcilroy's last Miss, 18th, was really horrible.
Dechambeau then struck a wild bunker shot to save his peer and catch the victory. Avu the 4 feet of McILroy fallen, or the two Putt holes earlier which were just as short, he would have forced qualifying series.
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McILroy immediately left the clubhouse after the defeat and did not speak to journalists, and he withdrew from the last signature event of the Tour of the season the following week. About a month after its American open loss, McILroy completely missed the Cup at the British Open.
Although he seemed to have put this behind him in the direction of another great season, McILroy will have to redeem himself from Oakmont Country Club this summer, no matter what is happening in Augusta this week.
