Are Rory’s Masters Chances Dwindling?

Not too long ago, Rory posted a video of him grinding away on the range and immediately people started saying that 2018 would be the year he’d finally win the Masters and become the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam.

A post shared by RORY (@rorymcilroy) on Dec 12, 2017 at 6:51am PST

But that video, along with Rory’s chances at winning the Masters, has become a faded memory.  In fact, most of the golfers who had a disappointing 2017 have already bounced back.

Tiger Woods has taken most of the headlines since making his debut at the Hero World Challenge (T-9) with a T-23 showing at Torrey Pines and 12th place performance at PGA National.  Likewise, Jason Day appears to be much closer to his 2015-16 form after winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

And just to complicate things, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas both look like they’re bringing their A game to every event.

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Mar 2, 2018 at 11:35am PST

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Meanwhile, Rory… well Rory started the year strong with top-3 finishes at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Dubai Desert Classic, but since then has stumbled after missing the cut at Pebble Beach, tying for 20th at the Genesis Open, and sharing 59th at the Honda Classic.

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Feb 24, 2018 at 8:21am PST

The poor performances are a result of a near, complete collapse of Rory’s game.  In fact, despite Rory’s recent hardships, he still believes that he’s made “big strides” in his putting and that it’s good enough to win the Masters.  Meanwhile, former World No. David Duval has gone as far as saying that Rory’s mediocre putting is having a negative impact on other parts of his game.

Brandel Chamblee has also offered some commentary, stating “[Rory’s] iron play has never been worse.”

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Feb 25, 2018 at 9:37am PST

And the numbers don’t lie: 124th in driving accuracy, 182nd in greens in regulation, 214th in approaches from inside 100 yards, and 60th in strokes gained putting.

Rory’s got a lot of work to do.  But at least he’s planning on playing a lot of golf before the Masters.  Currently, Rory is scheduled to compete in 4 more tournaments—the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at the Austin Country Club—before he tees it up at Augusta.

A post shared by The Masters (@themasters) on Apr 7, 2017 at 1:01pm PDT

Either way, nobody knows what can happen over the next month.  In addition to Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, and Justin Thomas, guys like Bubba Watson, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, and, more recently, Tommy Fleetwood are always in the mix.  Add in defending U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who’s been planning to play in the Masters since his wrist injury sidelined him back in January, it’s clear that Rory needs to find his groove before it’s too late and he needs to start counting down until the 2019 Masters.

Cover Image via Instagram