Rory McIlroy bids to join golf’s greats with career grand slam at Masters

Rory McIlroy and his caddie Harry Diamond used to have a bet with each other during practice rounds.

They’d set a score for McIlroy to shoot and if he beat it, Diamond bought him dinner. If McIlroy fell short, the tab was on him. More than just for kicks, it helped focus the practice.

But on the Sunday evening of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in February, McIlroy laid on drinks for Diamond, his caddie since 2017, to celebrate his rise back to the world No.1 spot for the first time since 2015. It’s a closeness borne out of their junior golf days back in Northern Ireland.

“It was important for me to sit down and have a few drinks with him and be like, we’ve done this, this was our journey and we did it, two guys that grew up in Holywood, playing golf together, this is something that was really cool,” McIlroy said.

DUBLIN, OH - JUNE 03: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts to a missed putt on the second hole during the final round of The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 3, 2018 in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Along with Dustin Johnson, McIlroy now sits behind only Tiger Woods and Greg Norman for most cumulative weeks at No.1 with more than 100. He knows Woods’ record 683 weeks is unlikely to be matched any time soon. “It was insane,” admits McIlroy.

But there is one Woods landmark McIlroy can emulate at the Masters, which was postponed until November because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A first green jacket at Augusta would make the 31-year-old only the sixth player to achieve the career grand slam of all four major titles. He would join golfing greats Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods in an elite pantheon.

McIlroy has faced grand slam talk before, of course. Since he won the Open in 2014, the Masters has become his holy grail. But with it has come mounting pressure, expectation and heartache.

“I get it every April and it certainly doesn’t help things,” said McIlroy, who has had four top 10s at Augusta National Golf Club in that time but was tied 21st behind Woods’ remarkable return last year.

Slipping from the top: Rory McIlroy was last golf's world No.1 in June (he is now ranked No. 5) and is bidding to win a fifth major and his first since 2014.

Grand Slam chasing: McIlroy just needs the Masters to become only the sixth player to win a career grand slam of all four major titles alongside legends of the game Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

Standout junior: The young Northern Irishman was a child prodigy. He won the World U10 title and here poses with six-time major champion Nick Faldo after winning the Under 17 Division of the 2006 Faldo Junior Series at Celtic Manor in Wales.

American idol: The young Rory idolized Tiger Woods, who won his first major in 1997 when McIlroy was eight. At nine, he wrote to the US star, saying he was "coming to get him."

Wider prominence: He was well known on the amateur scene, making Tiger-esque waves in Northern Ireland, but McIlroy first showed his talents to a wider audience as an 18-year-old when he finished as the best amateur at the 136th British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland, in 2007.

Professional breakthrough: He delayed turning pro until after the Walker Cup, the amateur version of the Ryder Cup, in September 2007. He won his first pro event at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic.

Family affair: McIlroy's delighted parents Gerry and Rosie had worked multiple jobs and poured every penny into his obsession with golf from a young age.

Breaking America: His first win in the US came at the Quail Hollow Championship in May 2010.

Major looming: A first-round 63 at the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews suggested McIlroy's first major title was imminent.

Blown off course: But he struggled to cope with wild winds on day two and dropped back before battling to a distant third place behind South African Louis Oosthuizen.

Near miss: A few weeks after the British Open, McIlroy missed out on a playoff by one shot to finish tied third at the US PGA at Whistling Straits.

Hair raising: European Ryder Cup players and caddies wore wigs resembling Rory McIlroy's shock of curly dark hair ahead of a practice session for the 2010 event at Celtic Manor.

Major coronation?: McIlroy was in inspired form at Augusta for the 2011 Masters and led by four shots going into the final day. A maiden major victory looked to be a formality.

Masters meltdown: He still led by one on the 10th tee in the final round. But an errant drive into trees to the left of the fairway sparked a famous collapse as he dropped six shots in three holes.

Scar tissue?: He carded a final-round 80 after having one arm in the green jacket. Many thought he'd struggle to get over his collapse.

Record breaker: However, he rebounded in spectacular fashion with a wire-to-wire victory in the US Open two months later, breaking a host of scoring records along the way.

Major winner: McIlroy won his maiden major title by eight shots at Congressional Country Club, marking him out as the game's hottest property.

Homecoming: He took the US Open trophy home to Holywood Golf Club outside Belfast where he learned the game as golf-mad youngster.

Fair weather golfer: But at the British Open that summer, McIlroy struggled again in bad weather and told reporters he was not a fan of having to battle the elements.

Top of the world: Victory in the Honda Classic in Florida in March 2012 took McIlroy to world No.1 for the first time -- less than five years after turning pro.

Running late: An alarm clock episode meant McIlroy needed a police escort to make the course on time but he succeeded in winning his Sunday singles match to help Europe pull off the "Miracle of Medinah" in the Ryder Cup in Chicago.

'Brain dead': In another honest assessment of his disappointing play, McIlroy admitted to feeling like he was "brain dead" and "unconscious" as he struggled in the British Open at Muirifield, Scotland in 2013.

Childhood dream: The following year, he dominated in the British Open at Hoylake, emulating Woods' feat at the Liverpool venue in 2006, to lift his first Claret Jug and third major title.

Joining the greats: He became only the third player after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to win three majors by 25.

Four timer: Just weeks later, McIlroy clinched the US PGA title at Valhalla, Kentucky. Victory in three of the game's four majors put him on the brink of a career grand slam.

Masters miss: It wasn't to be a third major in a row and the final leg of the grand slam as McIlroy ended fourth at Augusta in April 2015, playing alongside Tiger Woods on the final day.

Love match: McIlroy was joined by partner Erica Stoll for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. The pair married the following year.

Comeback kid: After a 2017 disrupted by injury, a refreshed Rory hit back with victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March 2018, his first title since winning the Tour Championship in 2016.

Players' player: McIlroy's next win was at the prestigious Players' Championship at Sawgrass in March 2019.

Fan favorite: McIlroy clinched a fourth title of 2019 with victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai in November.

Back to No.1: In February, 2020, he overhauled Brooks Koepka in the rankings to return to world No.1 for the first time since 2015. He held onto the spot until July.

Glory beckons: In November, he returns to Augusta for his sixth attempt at sealing the career grand slam.

Rory McIlroy's career in pictures

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‘Opened my eyes’

McIlroy won his four majors in a blistering burst from 2011 to 2014, but since then the well has dried up despite plenty of prestigious PGA Tour wins.

In South Korea in October, 2019, then No.1 Brooks Koepka – who also raced to four major wins very quickly between 2017 and 2019 – was asked about his rivalry with McIlroy.

“I’ve been out here for what, five years? Rory hasn’t won a major since I’ve been on the PGA Tour. So I don’t view it as a rivalry,” he said.

McIlroy agreed Koepka “wasn’t wrong” but stopped short of retaliating further.

But it’s McIlroy’s consistency which took him past Koepka back to the top of the world. Four wins in 2019 and nothing worse than fifth place on the PGA Tour in six starts since October tipped the scales back his way.

His return to form coincided – even was influenced by – an inner perspective forged from mindfulness practices and the pages of self-help books.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 14: (Sequence frame 6 of 12) Tiger Woods of the United States celebrates after making his putt on the 18th green to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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At the Masters last year, McIlroy revealed his routine now includes meditation, juggling and reading.

His favorite books include “The Greatest Salesman in the World,” by Og Mandino, Ryan Holliday’s “Ego is the Enemy” and “The Obstacle is the Way,” and Mark Manson’s “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k.”

“It’s opened my eyes to approaching life in a certain way which I think is a positive,” he told the PGA Tour’s The Cut.

“There’s things you can take from it which you can put into your career but you can also put into your life, taking a step back to think about things logically.”

Critics suggest he should have converted more of his high finishes into wins, and McIlroy concedes there are “good top 5s and bad top 5s.”

But he added: “My win percentage on Tour is like 10% and I think that’s pretty high for anyone not being Tiger Woods.”

Another McIlroy trait has been the occasional blowout round, such as his infamous meltdown from four in front in the final round of the 2011 Masters, or his capitulation alongside Patrick Reed in the final round at Augusta in 2018.

“He is a bit mercurial but that’s part of his normality,” says Shane O’Donoghue, host of CNN’s Living Golf show. “He’s not a robot, he is an artist.

“He will have down times, he will have the odd disaster, but my god, the highs more than make up for it because when he is on, he’s different class.”

Rory McIlroy surveys his options in the final round of the Masters in 2011.

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‘Overwhelmed’

The drama of last year’s Open at Royal Portrush perfectly encapsulates McIlroy’s multiple sides. As the hot and sentimental favorite to win on the tournament’s first return to his native Northern Ireland since 1951, he was gripped with nerves on the first tee.

“That was the first time I felt it, ‘Jesus, this is huge.’ I was overwhelmed,” he told the Irish Independent. “I was overwhelmed by the support. I looked up and just thought, ‘Holy s**t!’”

He pulled his tee shot out of bounds and amassed a quadruple-bogey eight on his way to a 79. In danger of missing the cut, he launched a swashbuckling attack in the second round, urged on by legions of fans, but his 65 left him one short.

Rory McIlroy made a quadruple-bogey eight to start the Open at Portrush in 2019.

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‘Ireland’s Mozart’

It wasn’t supposed to be that way for the prodigy who had set a course record of 61as a 16-year-old at Royal Portrush.

It was supposed to be the coronation of the boy king who had learned the game from his father Gerry at the unassuming Holywood Golf Club, a couple of hours down the road near Belfast.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 14: Playing Captain Tiger Woods of the United States team looks on during Saturday afternoon foursomes matches on day three of the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Course on December 14, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

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The young McIlroy was transfixed by Woods’ breakthrough major at Augusta in 1997, and when he was nine he wrote to the American, saying he was gunning for him.

His victory in the world Under-10 championship in Florida led to an appearance on a popular TV talk show, demonstrating his prowess chipping golf balls into a washing machine.

“I’d heard the stories of him playing for Holywood Golf Club, walking onto the first tee to play a senior cup match for low handicap amateurs, and his opponents saying, ‘Who are you caddying for today?’ and he’d go, ‘No, no, I’m playing,’” said BBC Sport Northern Ireland TV presenter Stephen Watson.

Irishman O’Donoghue was equally stunned when he first saw McIlroy in action in 2004.

“He’d just turned 14 and was clearly very different,” O’Donoghue told CNN Sport. “He looked like a cherubic little boy but played with an exuberance that was totally different. It was like watching a virtuoso. I very quickly christened him ‘Ireland’s Mozart,’ in golf terms.”

Rory McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond shake hands on the 18th green during the third round of the 2018 Masters.

A true Holywood star

Though McIlroy was well known on the amateur circuit, he came to wider prominence as a chirpy, cherubic 18-year-old at the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie, where he tied for third after the first round, bettering the then 12-time major champion Woods by one shot.

Joining the paid ranks was like adding a spark to rocket fuel. McIlroy has grown from precocious talent into a global superstar, based in Florida with the huge mansion, fast cars and private jet.

But despite the fame, wealth and celebrity status, McIlroy is still very grounded with a close coterie of school friends. When he parted company with long-time caddie JP Fitzgerald in 2017, McIlroy turned to best mate Diamond to shoulder the bag.

He’s had the same coach, former Holywood pro Michael Bannon, since he began the game using cut-down clubs.

“He was a nice, normal kid. He hasn’t changed,” adds O’Donoghue. “Circumstances have changed phenomenally around him and he’s had to deal with all of that but he’s still the same Rory. At the heart of it he’s still Gerry and Rosie’s boy.”

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Part of that personality is an honesty and openness in interviews. It’s got him into hot water at times, but it’s also endeared him to fans and media alike.

McIlroy’s latest pronouncements on a proposed splinter tour called the Premier Golf League and Tour-wide testing for Covid-19, has earned him plaudits as a leader and statesman.

“I’ve been around the top of the game for a long time now, over a decade, and I think being at the age I am and being at the stage of life where I’m a lot more comfortable in my own skin and in my own beliefs and values and convictions,” he said.

“I have been outspoken about a number of issues in golf over the past couple years, and I’m happy about that.”

With golf tournaments returning from the enforced coronavirus break without fans, he was one of the players advocating against a fan-less Ryder Cup, saying the iconic Europe vs. US competition with no supporters is “not a Ryder Cup.”

The Ryder Cup was eventually postponed and will be played between September 29 to October 1 at Italy’s Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in 2023.

A career grand slam would confirm McIlroy as one of the game’s greats, a true Holywood star.

In the lead up to the Masters, he revealed he had been “experimenting” with adding some more speed to his game in response to what Bryson DeChambeau has achieved after totally revamping his game.

“Bryson, when he speed-trains, he just hits the ball into a net, so he doesn’t really know where it’s going,” McIlroy said. “He’s just trying to move as fast as he can … and sort of making the target irrelevant for the time being and then you can sort of try to bring it in from there.

“From what I’ve done and what I’ve been trying – you know, sort of experimenting with the last couple weeks – it’s the fastest I’ve ever moved the club, the fastest my body has ever moved.”

If McIlroy does win the Masters this year he would be helped into the green jacket by none other than Woods, tying up a neat narrative that sparked his phenomenal career.

“I’ve done a lot of great things in golf so it’s just a matter of doing it on the right weeks,” he told Watson for BBC Sport.