Rory McIlroy’s quest for the career Grand Slam was off to a great start until he arrived at the 15th green. He was -4 and in a tie for second place at the time. Things went awry when he hit a chip on the par-5 15th into the water. His 5th shot ended up on the fringe, and he could not get up and down. He carded a double-bogey 7.
McIlroy parred the par-3 16th before running into more trouble on the 17th hole on Thursday. His approach shot sailed over the green. This put the all-time great in a rough spot. He compounded his errors by hitting a poor chip. The final act on his calamitous 17th hole was missing his 6-foot bogey putt to card a second double-bogey in 3 holes. He finished Thursday at E in a tie for 27th. Will the former major champion be able to recover in his quest for the elusive green jacket?
McIlroy’s Early Struggles Are Nothing New At Augusta
The 2025 Masters is McIlroy’s 11th attempt at the career Grand Slam. He has previously won the Open Championship. U.S. Open, and PGA Championship. Winning this tournament would put him in elite company with players like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Ben Hogan. The issue for McIlroy has been slow starts at Augusta National Golf Club. Thursday is his sixth consecutive Masters where he has been at least six shots back following the opening round.
He has come on strong over the weekend, but he has been too far back to make a true push for the green jacket. For example, he shot an 8-under 64 to finish 3 shots back of Scottie Scheffler in 2022. He was 1-over through Saturday which sunk his chances.
Final Thoughts
A terrible three-hole stretch will make it difficult for McIlroy to win this year’s Masters. He is 7 shots back of leader Justin Rose. McIlroy will also have to out-perform some of the game’s best players to jump up the leaderboard including Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy must get out of the gates quickly tomorrow like he did on Thursday. He fired a 3-under 33 on the opening nine. A solid round in the second round is essential if McIlroy wants to have any chance heading into the weekend. Otherwise, he will field more questions and wait another year before getting another crack at the career Grand Slam. He will tee off at 9:58 a.m. Friday.
