Rory McIlroy changed his approach to The Masters this year. He made an uncharacteristic choice to play in this week’s Valero Texas Open. In the past, McIlroy typically has not played the week before teeing it up at Augusta National.
After a tumultuous first few rounds, it appears as though it was a wise decision for the four-time major champion.
McIlroy shot a 6-under 66 Sunday, posting his lowest final round score leading into The Masters since the Houston Open in 2014. Back then, he shot a final round 65 and ended up tying for 8th at The Masters.
“I’m in a better spot than I was a few weeks ago. Yeah, it was nice to see a round like this today,” McIlroy said after his round.
Rory McIlroy: bogey-free 66 today; his best final round leading into the Masters in 10 years.
In 2014, he shot 65 on Sunday in Houston – finished T-8 the next week at Augusta.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 7, 2024
But 8th is not going to cut it for McIlroy any longer. He is still in search of the career grand slam, having won the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship.
His excellent play Sunday vaulted him up the leaderboard to a 3rd place finish. That alone might not give the necessary confidence to capture a Green Jacket.
However, his iron play this week very well might.
McIlroy gained 1.88 strokes on approach this week at TPC San Antonio. That’s his best performance in that regard since the 2019 Wells Fargo, per The Athletic’s Justin Ray.
McIlroy had really struggled with his irons all year on Tour. Entering this week, he was yet to land a top-10 finish in any PGA Tour event.
That led to him giving renowned swing coach Butch Harmon a visit recently.
McIlroy acknowledged they worked on his swing, particularly on approach. That work seemed to have paid off.
Now the only question is: Can the Northern Irishman make history and become the sixth man ever to complete the grand slam of golf? We’ll find out next week at Augusta.
Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social media platforms.
