AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Golden Bear is aware of a factor or two about Augusta Nationwide. In spite of everything, Jack Nicklaus gained The Masters six instances and made 52 begins throughout his illustrious profession.
So when he picked Rory McIlroy to win earlier on Thursday morning, it got here as no shock. Each Gary Participant and Tom Watson picked him to finish the profession Grand Slam, one thing he has been making an attempt to do for 11 years now.
However Nicklaus, who admitted to having a current dialog with McIlroy about the best way to play the golf course, offered a warning signal concerning the present World No. 2.
“The self-discipline is what Rory has lacked, in my view. He’s obtained all of the photographs. He’s obtained all the sport. He actually is as gifted as anyone within the sport,” Nicklaus cautioned.
“However when you look, return and see his historical past the previous couple of years, he will get to a spot loads of instances when an eight or a seven pops up, and that retains you from attending to the place he must go.
“I’m a giant fan of Rory’s and I like Rory loads, in order that’s what I feel. However I feel clearly Scottie Scheffler is simply coming again in once more. He’s a defending champion, there’s no one enjoying any higher within the sport than Scottie. Between the 2 of them, I feel you’re going to seek out your winner.”
When McIlroy torched one other drive down the fifteenth fairway, he was 4-under par and in a tie with Scheffler, who already posted a 4-under 68 earlier within the day. One other birdie on 15 appeared believable, and the ‘Rory-Scottie’ present that ESPN’s Curtis Unusual predicted appeared to dwell as much as the billing, not less than by spherical one.
Then McIlroy airmailed the fifteenth inexperienced, which is among the newer surfaces on the course. He laced a 4-iron from 238 yards out, however as a substitute of making an attempt to play a high-fade, which lands softer, he hammered a piercing draw. His method ignored the fifteenth inexperienced and landed about 10 yards past the floor, in an analogous location to the place Patrick Cantlay chipped it into the frontside pond moments earlier than.
McIlroy suffered the identical destiny.
He hammered his chip-shot, which rolled into the water, leaving McIlroy to write down down an aggravating ‘seven’ when it ought to have been a 5 at worst.
Two holes later, McIlroy air-mailed his method once more.
And as soon as extra, he hammered his chip-shot 20 toes previous the flag stick after which three-putted for a double-bogey six.
Within the blink of an eye fixed, McIlroy went from presumably bettering his rating to 5-under to plummeting right down to even par for the championship. He signed for a 72.
Nicklaus’ warning got here true.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
