Nine reasons why Rory McIlroy will finally end Masters hoodoo - and nine why he won't

Rory McIlroy will make his 17th attempt to win the Masters this week - and his 11th bid to complete his career Grand Slam.

The No.2 won his third different Major at the 2014 Open and then won his second US PGA title the following month.

But the Ulsterman, who turns 36 next month, has not added to his total of four Majors since. And the closest he has come since was finishing second behind world No.1 in 2022.

Could 2025 finally be his year in Augusta? The front nine - nine reasons why Rory McIlroy will win on Sunday

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One - Form

He is in great form. McIlroy has won twice - at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship - for the first time before Augusta.

Two - McIlroy's evolution

He was able to win at Sawgrass without hitting top form with his B Game, according to Paul McGinley. “That’s an evolution of Rory McIlroy,” said his former Ryder Cup captain. “That’s different from what we’ve seen before.”

Three - His rivals

His other main rivals are not in form. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who suffered a freak hand injury to delay the start of his season, is 0-6 till now. Open champion Xander Schauffele missed eight weeks with a rib injury while Collin Morikawa could not close out at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Four - His tenacity

He keeps putting himself in contention. McIlroy shared the first round lead at last year’s US Open after an opening 65. And he was back on top of the leaderboard with four holes remaining before missing two short putts to finish a stroke behind Bryson DeChambeau.

Five - Work away from the course

He has worked with mind coach Bob Rotella to take away the stress of seeking a first Green Jacket.

I know that Bob Rotella has been a huge influence on him in the last 18 months, and I think he’ll have him very well prepared now,” said McGinley. “This is not the first rodeo going into the Masters working together.

Six - Differences to last year

He is not looking for his game. Last year McIlroy flew over to Las Vegas just before the Masters to seek an emergency short-iron clinic with Butch Harmon.

And the Ulsterman worked with Pete Cowen before the first Major of the year in 2021. Last week the world No.2 was working with his long-term coach Michael Bannon in Florida

Seven - Short game improvements

McIlroy’s short-iron game has never matched his imperious driving. But the 9-iron he hit to the 17th green in the playoff at The Players last month showed he had learned from his lessons with Harmon, the American has claimed.

“It was just perfect,” said the Sky Sport analyst. “That is really what I worked on with him. The rest of his game was fine. He has gone on and done the work himself and he has done a good job.”

Eight - Tee shots

His length off the tee is a huge help on the four par-5s Augusta. In his 16 Masters appearances, he has posted an aggregate total of 97-under-par on the holes.

Nine - Home life

His home life has returned to normal. Just before last year’s USPG, McIlroy announced that he was divorcing his American wife Erica but they reconciled the following month.

Stoll attended tournaments before the end of the year, including with their daughter Poppy at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

But McIlroy, who led by four shots going into the final round in 2011, has still to win the title which appeared to be his destiny. The back nine - nine reasons why his Masters hoodoo will go on.

One - Reliving the nightmare

Augusta is the only Major played on the same course every year. And McIlroy has to re-live his past near misses every time he goes back to Georgia.

The Ulsterman, who hit a horrible snap hook off the 10th tee in 2011, has admitted he has to handle Masters “scar tissue”. “It brings out the worst in Rory annually that we see almost every year,” said Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee

Two - Desperation

McIlroy is desperate to enter an elite group of career Grand Slam winners. Only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have won all four of the modern Majors. Legends like Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Sir Nick Faldo never completed the feat.

But Butch Harmon said: “He wants it so bad, he just has to relax when he gets there,” said the American. “It got to him last year - you could see it in his demeanour and how quickly he walked. Even in his warm-up, things weren’t as calmed down.

Three - Nerves

He admitted he had to control his nerves before closing out his playoff win at The Players. McIlroy had led by three shots with six shots to play in the weather-delayed final round only to stutter and allow JJ Spaun to draw level.

He returned the following morning to nail his opening drive on the 16th but later said: "It was stressful. I'm super happy, super proud to win this event for a second time. Honestly, standing over that tee shot on 16 this morning is the most nervous I've been in a long time.”

At Augusta, he starts slowly. The only two times he has broken 70 in the firstt round - 2011 and 2018 - he has competed for the title.

Four - History

History is now against him. Three of the career Grand Slammers - Gene Sarazen (1935), Ben Hogan (1953) and Tiger Woods (2000) - achieved the feat at the first attempt after winning their third. Woods did it at the St Andrews Open aged 24 just a month after winning the US Open. Jack Nicklaus (1966) and Gary Player (1965) both won at their third attempt.

World No.2 McIlroy is making his 11th bid to claim the Masters a month before his 36th birthday. Nicklaus, who was 26 when he won his fourth different Major, warned last year: As he gets older, it gets tougher.”

Five - Scheffler's threat

He is the in-form player but defending champion Scottie Scheffler is still the man to beat at Augusta. The world No.1 got off to a slow start this season after cutting his hand making pasta but his final round 62 in his last event before the Masters at the Texas Children’s Houston Open showed he is trending in the right direction.

Six - His rivals

There are so many good players who can win Majors now. The last 16 Majors since the start of 2022 have been won by 13 different players. Only Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm have won twice. Ludvig Aberg, on his debut, and Tommy Fleetwood finished in the top three at Augusta last year.

Seven - Team LIV's desire

There are 12 LIV players in the field - all with the extra motivation of beating the PGA Tour stars and, for some, making a case to be picked for September’s Ryder Cup.

Butch Harmon said: “They are not going to get the points that the other guys are going to get because LIV events don’t count towards qualfication. I think how they play in the next four Majors will really dictate whether they are picked or not.”

Eight - Rocky Augusta form

For all his domination on the par-5s in Augusta, McIlroy has been less impressive on the other holes. On the 10 par-4s he is 54-over par and on the four four par-3s he is 10-over par.

Nine - Past errors

Rory McIlroy found different ways to mess up the Majors last year. He won his final event before the US PGA at Valhalla in Kentucky - where he won his last Major in 2014 - and claimed “the stars are aligning”.

The following day, he announced he was getting divorced and finished tied 12th. He led with four holes to go at the US Open and bogeyed three of the last four holes - including two short putts on 16 and 18. He did not miss a putt from outside five feet in his first 69 holes - and did it twice under pressure in the last three holes.