McIlroy admits pressure to win career Grand Slam is getting to him
Rory McIlroy has the gift of candor in defeat, and he admitted after coming up well short at the Masters that he succumbed to the pressure of trying to complete the career Grand Slam.
The four-time major winner has the 2011 U.S. Open, 2014 British Open and the 2012 and ’14 PGA Championships to his credit. All he’s missing to complete the cycle is a green jacket from Augusta National. He’d join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only players to accomplish the feat.
So far, McIlroy is 0-for-2 with a chance to join that historic company, and the Ulsterman admits he is pressing.
“I’ve been in position before and I haven’t got the job done when I needed to and I don’t think that’s anything to do with my game, I think that’s more me mentally,” McIlroy said Sunday. “I’m trying to deal with the pressure of it and the thrill of the achievement if it were to happen. I think that’s the thing that’s really holding me back.”
McIlroy found himself in position to win the Masters through 36 holes, drawing a spot in Saturday’s final pairing with Jordan Spieth. However, in difficult conditions McIlroy shot 77 to fall five off the pace heading into the final round. A Sunday 1-under 71 left him in a tie for 10th place, six back of winner Danny Willett.
While McIlroy hasn’t managed to win the Masters yet, he has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three years, including a career-best fourth in 2015.
“Once I overcome that mental hurdle that I’m struggling with at the minute, then I know how to play this course,” he said. “I’ve played this course very well before and I can string good rounds together here, but it’s just a matter of doing it.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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