Rory McIlroy
The golden goose returns to the scene of his historic triumph last year. Is McIlroy officially freed from the chains that bound him for over a decade? Probably. But there are a million other reasons why golfers don’t win the Masters.
Rory certainly relishes his role as a Masters Champion and has been heavily involved with the Masters festivities leading up to the actual tournament. This sort of appreciation and respect will go a long way towards creating a comfortable environment for Rory to execute the rare repeat. Only Nicklaus, Faldo, and Tiger Woods have been able to successfully defend a Masters title. This is going to be the main storyline and I can’t wait to watch.
Pre Masters Prediction: T2
Round 1: T1
The story of the day was undoubtedly Mr McIlroy. With just one blemish on the card, Rory fired an opening round 67 in defense of his 2025 title. Its hard to imagine a scenario where Rory doesn’t figure into the weekend after such a marvelous opening display of ball striking and mental strength. Just like pimpin’, repeatin’ ain’t easy, but Rory is gonna get another good look at history this weekend.
Round 2: 1st place
It is a true pleasure to watch one of the best athletes in our sport play to the peak of their abilities and that is exactly what we witnessed on Friday from Rory McIlroy. After a hot start, the jets cooled for a bit until Rory hit terminator mode on the 12th hole. Rory would play the last 7 holes in 6 under par including an amazing chip/pitch shot from well off the green on #17.
Rory shoots 65 and has a record 6 shot lead going into the weekend. If Rory starts driving the golf ball better and keeps his foot on the gas, he is gonna win by 10. This could be a coronation instead of a golf tournament.
Round 3: T1
With a 6 shot lead, all eyes were on Rory today. Fortunately for the field, Rory did everything but keep his foot on the gas pedal. With a surging Saturday field, it only took him 12 holes to find himself in 2nd place. After dropping one in the water on #11 and making a bogey on 12, things felt eerily familiar for a moment. Rory didn’t flinch and never lost control. He managed to steady the ship with birdies on 14 and 15 and eventually found himself in a tie for the lead after 54 holes.
Even with the evaporation of his 6 shot lead, Rory still remains firmly in the driver’s seat. Playing with a massive lead at Augusta has always proven to be one of the most difficult tasks anyways. Fortunately for the viewer, 13 players are now within 6 shots of the field and Sunday has been set up for some serious Masters drama.
Round 4: Masters Champion
Even though I had Rory finishing in second place it was a pleasure to watch him prevail on Sunday. McIlroy strengthens his legacy as one of the all time greats as he joins Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods as the only golfers to successfully defend their Master’s titles. The key moment came on 12 when he stuck his approach, made the putt and then hit an absolute missile down the fairway on 13. While there were plenty of golfers around the lead, not a single challenger rose to meet Rory. With a shot to give on the 18th hole, Rory was able to make an easy bogey and cruise to his second green jacket. It would be wise to put $100 on the very first 3 peat in 2027 right now.