The pressure is on for Rory McIlroy at Augusta National.
More than a decade on from his last major win, the Northern Irish superstar is the story heading into The Masters.
Getting Closer
Rory McIlroy’s last 10 Masters finishes
2024 – T22
2023 – Cut
2022 – 2
2021 – Cut
2020 – T5
2019 – T21
2018 – T5
2017 – T7
2016 – T10
2015 – 4
He is making headlines in the Augusta press room and is once again out to complete golf’s career Grand Slam, which remains the pinnacle of the game and one of the hardest feats to achieve in world sport.
McIlroy’s form this year has already captured the attention of many fans, and he heads to Augusta for the 17th time on a high, looking to win the tournament for the first time.
The 35-year-old dominated a thee-hole play-off to see off JJ Spaun and win the Players Championship in March, six years on from his first victory at TPC Sawgrass.
That was his second win on the PGA Tour in 2025, and this is the first time he has achieved that before April.
Perhaps, then, the stars are aligning as he heads into the first major of the year.
It seems almost inconceivable that McIlroy is still seeking his first victory at Augusta National, but it is far less surprising that he is still among the favorites to finally take the crown, more than 10 years on from his last major win.
If he is to break his Masters duck, the generational star will need to take down Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the talented field.
According to Sky Sports pundits Nick Dougherty and Henni Zuel, 2025 could finally be the year he reaches the promised land.
“This is a guy who’s a generational talent. And my stance is always that it’s going to happen at some point,” Zuel said of McIlroy winning The Masters.
“It’s a matter of when and not if.
“Now, if we’re looking at his form coming into it, all signs are pointing in the right direction. All round in terms of the work that he’s put into his game over the winter, where he is head-space wise, what we’re seeing from him results wise, everything seems to be aligning.
“So I don’t think we can say it’s not going to happen, but it’s Augusta National, anything can happen.
“The fact that Rory is a generational talent, you want him to do that because you feel like it’s deserved with how good he is at golf.
“I hope that all the stars do align for him this year. But if they don’t, I think they will at some point.”
Dougherty, meanwhile, identified what is standing in McIlroy’s way of a historic victory.
“The reality is, he hasn’t just got to beat Scottie SCheffler,” Dougherty said.
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“He’s got to beat every single player in that field and play his best golf on that given week.
“That’s the challenge he faces every year.
“We put so much attention on him winning The Masters and what it will mean because he’ll complete the career Grand Slam and win all four major championships in the men’s game.
“And for that to have to happen in one given week is an immense amount of pressure and expectation.
“But is he capable? Absolutely.”
McIlroy, of course, has some painful memories at Augusta, as his Masters record shows.
So high was his potential, that when he first competed as a teenager in 2009, the noise suggested he could complete a Grand Slam by the age of 22.
Two years on, he was scarred by a final round collapse that saw him drop from the top of the leaderboard to finish tied for 15th.
Four subsequent top-five finishes have followed, but the ultimate glory has still eluded him.
Now, with two wins under his belt already this year, and a notable shift in mentality, the stars may well have aligned for McIlroy to break his Masters duck.
Sky Sports is the home of golf in the UK. Watch live coverage of The 2025 Masters, exclusively on Sky Sports Golf and NOW from 10-13 April.
