Focused McIlroy a man on a mission
A career-high finish in the Masters of tied eighth, secured with his best round of the week, a closing three-under-par 69 that was one of just five sub-70 rounds on Sunday, provided plenty of positives for McIlroy.
A flash of inspiration on the sixth green that helped fix a putting glitch was yet another positive to sustain his two weeks away from the competitive arena as he turns his attentions to the next major of the year, June’s US Open at Pinehurst.
Yet that fortnight in Palm Beach Gardens will also give the 24-year-old the opportunity to reflect on the opportunities missed in Georgia over four rounds that left him eight shots adrift of 2014 champion Bubba Watson.
That the Co. Down man failed to add a third different major to his curriculum vitae, having gone into the Masters full of confidence after a final-round 65 at Houston the week before, will have exasperated McIlroy, ousted from his world number nine ranking by 20-year-old runner-up Jordan Spieth.
And while the new number 10 will be able to hone his game in readiness for a return to the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow on May 1, where he won his maiden PGA Tour event in 2010 and will turn 25 on May 4, there will be no chance to make amends for his Augusta errors for another year.
McIlroy shot the same final round score as Watson on Sunday but it was his failure to catch the leaders by capitalising on the par-five holes that robbed him of the chance to finally try on a green jacket.
“I played the par-fives in even par this week, which you just can’t do out here. I’m even par for the tournament and even par for the par-fives. So you’re looking to play the par-fives somewhere around 10 to 12 under par. And obviously if I had of done that, it would have been a different story.
“It’s been a frustrating week, because I felt like from tee to green I played as good as the leaders. I don’t think I’ve ever played as good tee to green around this course as I have this week. I just need to take some more chances that I’ve given myself on the greens.”
McIlroy’s assertion that the par-fives were the key to his troubles was more accurate than he imagined. That he trailed Watson home by eight shots will be a point made all the more painful for the fact that the American outscored the Irishman on the par-fives by exactly that figure.
Had McIlroy indeed played the par-fives in 10 under as he asserted, Irish golf may well have been celebrating its first Masters champion. That will hurt but the former US Open and PGA champion insisted he had advanced his Augusta learning curve significantly last week on his sixth appearance.
“It was big. I’m really comfortable on the tees. I’m really comfortable with the second shots. I’m comfortable on the golf course. I figured something in my putting today on the sixth hole. And then I putted a little better after that. I wasn’t ending where I thought I was ending, the putter was aiming a little left of where I thought it was. So I was missing a lot of left to rights.
“But I was proud of myself, after the couple of sixes I had, to have a couple of birdies on the back nine. That was great. And even some of the bad holes that I had earlier on in the week, to bounce back from them.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming back here. I love the golf course. I love playing it. And I know I can do well here. It’s just a matter of making the most of my chances because I gave myself plenty of chances here this week. If I had converted a few more, and just played the par fives better, it could have been a different story.”
That feelgood factor and finding a solution to his putting glitch can also benefit him elsewhere on tour with McIlroy hoping that will kick-start his season with the Wells Fargo Championship and Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass coming up next month.
“It felt really good in Houston last weekend, I shot 65. And today was a little better. But at least that gives me something to work on the next couple of weeks heading to Charlotte, and obviously building up towards the US Open.
“At least I figured something out with my putting and I can go with that. It’s something to really work on and something to get right. And hopefully I can start seeing a few more putts go in, and get more confidence, because my long game is where I need it to be.
“It’s just taking advantage of the good shots that I’m hitting.
“I’m looking forward to a couple of weeks off and I’m looking forward to getting back to the playing again. I’ve got two big tournaments coming up, Charlotte and TPC, and I want to do well there and feel like I’ve got it to go and contend.”
McIlroy played as well as anyone from tee to green but couldn’t convert the opportunities into birdies. The stats don’t lie: the Holywood golfer hit 72.22% of greens compared to the field’s 58.31% but was averaging 1.74 putts per round against the field’s 1.66.
The two-time major champion trailed Bubba Watson by eight shots on the leaderboard and by the same number over the par fives. A cumulative level par from four rounds over holes 2, 8, 13 and 15 is simply not good enough to win the Masters.
In each of his past five appearances, McIlroy’s week has been pockmarked by a round of five over par or worse. A 77 in 2010 led to a missed cut, the final round 80 a year later cost him the title. This year it was a second-round 77 between rounds of 71, 71 and 69.
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