The PGA Tour, USGA, PGA of America, and Masters all announced new dates for their events – read about that here – and there’s one golfer who believes he stands to benefit from the new dates.
Rory McIlroy is in search of the career grand slam and has yet to capture a green jacket despite having a number of chances over the course of his career. McIlroy is upbeat about the Masters taking place in November.
“It will be a different feel,” said McIlroy.
McIlroy appeared on Nike Golf’s Instagram account speaking to former U.S. Women’s Open champion Wie.
“I feel like there’s anticipation going to Augusta, the first big event of the year. There’s all this hype. I don’t think it’ll feel like that this year. I think it’ll feel a little bit different, which I’m looking forward to. It’s going to be a different Masters, and personally, selfishly, maybe that’s what I need to get the [green] jacket.”
“November is going to be different. It’s going to be cold. The course can play very long. I mean, it plays long already, but it could play very long. The greens might not be as fast as they usually are in April, depending on the moisture. Obviously, they can do whatever they want with the course with SubAir and everything, but I think it’ll be a different feel as well. It’s the back end of the year as two of the majors have already been played—hopefully, the Ryder Cup’s already been played. People might be in their routines and in their flow a little bit.”
“There’s all this hype. I don’t think it will feel like that this year, it will feel different but it’s something I’m looking forward to. It’s going to be a different Masters this year but personally, maybe selfishly, that’s what I need to get the jacket.”
With the Masters becoming the final major of the year in 2020, thanks to the Coronavirus, McIlroy is upbeat about getting the U.S. Open and PGA Championship out of the way, as well as the Ryder Cup. He believes the pressure at the Ryder Cup will help him heading into Augusta.
“Pressure at the Ryder Cup is different. I think if you look at people who have performed well in Ryder Cups before they went on to win majors, I think it’s a good precursor. I think for us, that the Ryder Cup is the biggest and most intense atmosphere you can play under. If you can handle that, you can handle being in contention at the majors.”
Do you think McIlroy has a better chance at a Masters in November or is that going to be his Phil Mickelson-U.S. Open? The one he will always struggle to capture.