Rory McIlroy's ninth attempt to complete the career Grand Slam ended in a missed cut at The Masters at Augusta National; four-time major champion has withdrawn from the RBC Heritage this week, which is live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf
Monday 10 April 2023 18:25, UK
Rory McIlroy's hopes of completing the career Grand Slam will have to be put on hold for at least another year after the pre-tournament favourite suffered a shock early exit from The Masters.
Just days after Tiger Woods said a victory at Augusta National was "definitely" in the Northern Irishman's future - the elusive major in his Grand Slam bid - McIlroy missed the cut for the second time in three years.
McIlroy insisted he had not given himself an "insurmountable" challenge to get back into the tournament when a level-par 72 left him seven strokes behind the early leaders, only for him to slide further down the leaderboard with a hugely-disappointing second-round display.
The world No 2 registered just two birdies and made seven bogeys as he struggled to a five-over 77, leaving him two strokes outside the cut mark and extending his wait for a fifth major title.
McIlroy had been in such devastating form over the past 12 months, finishing top eight in all four majors last year and topping the order of merit on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, with that run set to continue after he made a winning start to the year at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
His issues with the driver appeared to have been resolved with a shorter shaft, leaving McIlroy brilliant off the tee as he ended a slight dip in results with a run to the semi-finals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
McIlroy also reverted back to an old putter in the weeks leading up to the opening major of the year, which made an instant impact during a strong display in Texas, with everything seeming to be aligning towards a victory at a venue where he had top-10 finishes in half his previous 14 starts.
Ultimately McIlroy did not come close on this occasion, meaning he has now had 15 attempts at Augusta without success, with the 2024 contest set to be his 10th opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy appeared to have his historic first-round hoodoo behind him after three opening rounds of 67 or lower in three consecutive majors last year, only to leave himself facing an uphill task once again following another slow start at Augusta National.
The opening round remarkably ended a run of four consecutive over-par starts for McIlroy at Augusta, although it keeps him a combined 21 over par in the first round of majors since his most recent success at the 2014 PGA Championship.
McIlroy may have been able to play his way back into the tournament in the past, including the runner-up finish in 2022 with a final-round 64, but he has failed to lead after any round at The Masters since squandering a four-shot advantage during the last day of the 2011 contest.
Every Masters winner since Woods in 2005 has been under par after the first round and only one champion in the last 20 years has not been inside the top 15 going into round two, with McIlroy all too aware faster starts are needed to give himself the best chance going forward.
McIlroy struggled with his approach play once again, only finding 20 of the 36 greens in regulation over the first two days, while a cold putter also contributed to a disappointing second round.
He bogeyed four of his opening seven holes and shook his head in disbelief after finding water on his way to a bogey at the par-four 11th, with his expression one of someone who was realising another year without the Grand Slam was passing.
Birdies on the two par-fives gave brief hope of at least sneaking through to the weekend before two further dropped shots along the closing stretch ended any chance of making it through, with McIlroy electing against speaking to the media post-round.
"To be honest I felt like he was going to have a good week this week," Shane Lowry said after completing his third round. "I spent a lot of time with him over the last couple of weeks, but that's golf. A lot of times you don't get what you deserve.
"It's obviously been very tough for him. I'll catch up with him next week. I'm sure he'll get over it. I'm sure he's fine."
McIlroy was listed in the field for the RBC Heritage, beginning on Thursday and the latest of the PGA Tour's 'elevated events', but he has since withdrawn from the event.
McIlroy is scheduled to take time off before heading to the Wells Fargo Championship from May 4-7 at Quail Hollow, the venue where he claimed his maiden PGA Tour title in 2010, won by a record-breaking seven shots in 2015 and also enjoyed victory in 2021.
The PGA Championship takes place at Oak Hill Country Club from May 18-21, where McIlroy will be one of the favourites once again to lift the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time.
The PGA Tour returns this week at the RBC Heritage! Early coverage begins on Thursday from midday on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 7pm.
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