Rory McIlroy is just a Masters victory away from becoming just the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam, and the Northern Irishman will be gunning to end his wait next week
Rory McIlroy’s wait to finally win the Masters and complete the Grand Slam has become one of golf’s biggest talking points, and the debate will no doubt restart at Augusta National next week.
If he is to do it, McIlroy will write himself into the sport’s history books as one of the all-time greats, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen as the only players to win all four major championships. The 35-year-old is currently playing as well as anyone on the planet, having won twice already on the PGA Tour in 2025.
The challenge ahead at Augusta, however, is a different beast, one the 35-year-old has yet to tame in what has been an incredible professional career.
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At 35, McIlroy is still in the prime of his career and will feel he has plenty of chances to get his hands on a green jacket if this year turns out to not be the one. One man who has covered McIlroy’s career across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, including at Augusta, is former player-turned-commentator Ewen Murray.
The Scot has become the voice of golf to many in the UK, and having called a whole host monumental moments on Sky Sports over the years, he believes McIlroy should follow in the footsteps of one of his fellow European greats in Sir Nick Faldo. Speaking with Mirror Sport, Murray highlighted Faldo’s preparation as the key behind his six major wins, which included two around the iconic Georgia track.
“The pressure on him is enormous for him to join the five players to win the Grand Slam,” Murray said of McIlroy. Encouraging the Northern Irishman to take a similar approach to Faldo in taking himself away from the limelight ahead of the majors, the Scot added: “I think he should take a leaf out of Nick Faldo’s book.
“Faldo before the majors cleared off somewhere, come away from all the noise. When he won at St Andrews, he went up to the outer hebrides and played golf, did his practice. By the time he got to St Andrews, he was ready… I think Faldo got it right, and six majors suggest that he did.
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“Nick was a great thinker, he was very aware of everything. I think McIlroy should look at that.” McIlroy will, of course, be hoping that he can use his ability off the tee to his advantage, having consistently driven the ball better than most on the PGA Tour in recent years.
Murray believes the 35-year-old should set his sights on turning Augusta’s par-fives into par-fours to give him an instant leg-up on the field. “He should look at the par fives,” the commentator added. “These par fives are really par fours for him. If he birdies three of them each day he is 12-under-par.
“That is the way I look at it. Maybe that puts pressure on McIlroy to take the par fives well, but I do think that is key for him.” Murray went on to highlight that the pressure on the shoulders of McIlroy is bigger than most heading into the opening major, not only to become champion but also one of the greatest players of all time.
“He would become the sixth player to win the Grand Slam it is as simple as that,” the Sky man said of what McIloy could achieve. “I think the pressure for Rory is not just winning the Masters at Augusta, it is the history of joining Sarazen, Nicklaus, Hogan, Woods, and Player as Grand Slam winners.
“If he were to win the Masters, it would elevate him into one of the greatest players to ever play the game. That is the pressure he is under. I think he has the mental power to deal with it, I just think he needs to change one or two things to make sure he is ready on Thursday morning.”
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