San Antonio, Texas.
Rory McIlroy confessed the first time he contested the Masters he was scared to take a divot.
But five years on McIlroy is again to ready rewrite the history books and win the most sought after item of apparel in golf no matter how many divots he takes around the ‘Cathedral in the Pines’.
History had been against McIlroy when he first contested the Masters and history will be against the reigning PGA Champion when he tees up later next week at Augusta National.
But in his very short time in the professional ranks, McIlroy has been making a habit of rewriting the history books.
However a day after girlfriend, Caroline Wozinacki will don a pair of those unfashionable Augusta National white overalls and caddy for him in the Par Three
Contest, McIlroy will be looking to become the youngest winner of the Masters since Tiger Woods in 1997.
And while McIlroy’s indifferent new season has been mulled over in every clubhouse around the globe there could have been no more scrutiny then what the then 21-year old had to endure in the hours, days and weeks following his 2011 Masters meltdown.
But then to his enormous credit McIlroy proved all of us wrong in the best way he could going to Congressional and storming his way to an eight-stroke success.
It was very much the scenario eight months ago with McIlroy having missed the cut in three of five events, finishing well down in the British Open and then after posting a fifth place in Akron, Ohio he went to Kiawah Island and set new records in winning the PGA Championship by eight shots.
So it seems that when questions are raised about McIlroy’s performance he answers in the best way possible.
“It’s fair to say that when my game has been questioned I do respond with a victory,” he said.
“The last couple of times, I mean the two times I have won a major, it has been that way.
“I had come off a little bit of criticism and people were questioning me after what happened in the Masters, so from the Masters and going into the US Open people were questioning whether or not I had the right attitude and the mental toughness to finish off a Major.
“Even last year I was coming through a bit of a rough patch heading into the US PGA Championship, but then I got that sorted out pretty quickly.
“It’s the same now with the Masters next week. Maybe it is a good sign, maybe it is a good omen but in saying that I just wouldn’t like to go into every major struggling, that wouldn’t be a good thing (smiling).”
McIroy will tee up Thursday as the one of four reigning Major Champions but then history is also slightly against the reigning PGA Champion also being fitted with a green jacket.
Since the first Masters in 1934 only three players have gone to Augusta as winner of the Major late in the year prior to Augusta.
They were Sam Snead, who won the 1951 PGA Championship at Oakmont and then won the Masters, Jack Nicklaus, who captured the 1971 PGA at Palm Beach Gardens and then a fourth Masters in 1971 and Tiger Woods who achieved the feat of holding all four Major titles at the same time after having won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla then added the 2001 Masters.
However when he tees up at the ‘Cathedral of the Pines’ history again is not something bothering McIlroy.
“It’s nice, nice to go to the first major of the year having won the last major of last year,” he said.
“That’s a nice thing and I guess this is going to be the second year in a row that I go to Augusta as a major champion, which is always a nice thing.”
And we have to remember here is a young player still 24 days short of his 24th birthday who is competing in only his fifth Masters, and who is still very awe of this Georgia golfing gem.
“In the first couple of years I played the Masters, I was in awe of the golf course and in awe of the place,” he said.
“I was sometimes scared to take a divot because the place looked so good. But now you treat it as a golf course, you are playing against the same guys you play against week in week out. The only thing that changes is the place. It still has that aura about it, though.
”But after what happened in 2011 I am trying to learn from my mistakes and I am trying to focus on the good things.
“Whenever you have a bad day like I did have back then I will focus on the positives.
“I still think about that putt I missed in Switzerland for my first win on the European Tour back in ‘08. I think about that in the sense of ‘what was I doing’ more than anything else.
“You learn from your mistakes and move on, you try and put into practice what you have learnt and then forget about it.
”Back in 2011 I played better at Augusta than finishing 15th. In ’09 I finished 20th and that was okay.
“Last year at Augusta, conditions were a little tougher, it was cold for the first couple of days and a little breezy. I did really well to be a couple off the lead going into the weekend but I then threw in one of those bad nine holes.
“I feel sometimes as though the way I have played there hasn’t been reflected by the finishing position.
“Maybe that’s just a case of getting used to the course or being a little sharper around the greens.
Caroline Wozniacki to caddy for Rory McIlroy in the Par Three Contest. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“I feel as though I have been very sharp around the greens over the last 18 months so hopefully that can continue going into the Masters.”
And if there is a plus among all the negatives surrounding McIlroy this season then the focus, as highlighted by fellow US Open winner, Graeme McDowell, is that McIlroy is not a favourite to win the Masters.
“There was obviously a lot of attention on me going into Congressional because Tiger wasn’t playing that good and I was coming in after what happened to me in the Masters,” he said.
“It was the same at Kiawah with people were wondering if Tiger could win his 15th major and how he was looking and whatever.
“So it’s nice, obviously you are still going to get the questions and there is going to be a lot of attention but not as much as it would be if I had won a couple of times beforehand.”
And to steal a line from Woods’ controversial new Nike advertisement, McIlroy winning the 2013 Masters ‘changes everything’.
