Rory McIlroy Will Never Win the Masters

[ChetlovesMer]

On 4/11/2025 at 6:05 PM, TommyRude said:

As for the post bulk-up left yanks and right pushes, a few examples;

In the 2016 Masters, Rory was in contention, but he missed left repeatedly with drivers and irons

In the 2020 U.S.Open, Rory repeatedly missed right off the tee (yes… left was trouble, deep rough - but an example nonetheless of Rory trying to guard against the left miss)

Cause of the left miss:  Stronger upper body + reduced hip mobility → reliance on arms → clubface closes early in transition → pulls left

I'm going to pile on @TommyRude.

The more I think about this take the funnier it gets in my head. 

Colin Montgomerie lost at least three majors down the stretch that I can think of.

• 1994 US Open shot 78 in a three-person-play-off losing to Ernie Els (and Loren Roberts). Montgomerie pulled drivers left and pushed them right the entire play-off round.
• 1998 Masters; pulled three of his last five approach shots left. Ended up finishing tied for eighth. 
• 2006 US Open was tied for the lead (with Phil). He was sitting in the middle of the fairway on 18. Hit his approach short, pulled his chip shot long left, 3 putted. 

Therefore clearly, Colin Montgomerie's reliance on bulky musculature and overly testosterone driven attitude obviously caused these issues. 😁

If you want to go the other way, I know Brooks Koepka has credited all five of his majors to the fact that he's powerfully built. ... I'll suggest DeChambeau may say the same thing. 

 

[TommyRude]

2 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I'm going to pile on @TommyRude.

The more I think about this take the funnier it gets in my head. 

Colin Montgomerie lost at least three majors down the stretch that I can think of.

• 1994 US Open shot 78 in a three-person-play-off losing to Ernie Els (and Loren Roberts). Montgomerie pulled drivers left and pushed them right the entire play-off round.
• 1998 Masters; pulled three of his last five approach shots left. Ended up finishing tied for eighth. 
• 2006 US Open was tied for the lead (with Phil). He was sitting in the middle of the fairway on 18. Hit his approach short, pulled his chip shot long left, 3 putted. 

Therefore clearly, Colin Montgomerie's reliance on bulky musculature and overly testosterone driven attitude obviously caused these issues. 😁

If you want to go the other way, I know Brooks Koepka has credited all five of his majors to the fact that he's powerfully built. ... I'll suggest DeChambeau may say the same thing. 

 

Not a problem chetlover, as I look back - even thought I truly believed in the take - it looks laughable.  IF - Rory had done some of the things I mentioned and lost, I’m sure I would have trumpeted how prescient I was.  But now, perhaps my take can be considered for a Wall of Shame.

Colin M - - haha, he’s jacked for sure - jacked on Big Macs.

Brooks and Bryson;  Brooks buffness looks pretty natural?  And Bryson - definitely on the bizarre end of the spectrum.  But for both Brooks and Bryson, they were winning majors.  Whatever jackness they had-have, natural or extreme, was not hindering them from hitting the crucial shots under pressure, at the majors.

[klineka]

8 minutes ago, TommyRude said:

 Whatever jackness they had-have, natural or extreme, was not hindering them from hitting the crucial shots under pressure, at the majors.

You have no proof that Rory's perceived "jackedness" was hindering him from hitting the crucial shots under pressure at the majors.

I don't think his jackedness caused Rory to miss a combined like 7 feet of putts over the last 2 holes at the 2024 US Open. 

[TommyRude]

11 minutes ago, klineka said:

You have no proof that Rory's perceived "jackedness" was hindering him from hitting the crucial shots under pressure at the majors.

I don't think his jackedness caused Rory to miss a combined like 7 feet of putts over the last 2 holes at the 2024 US Open. 

There is 100%, incontrovertible, undisputed evidence and proof that he wasn’t winning majors from 2015 - 2024.

Even though I concede that my take is laughable, I don’t think it’s laughable to say that Rory’s major drought during that period is one of the most extreme droughts in modern golf history.  Extreme meaning, with his innate and physical talent (AND his major record pre-2015), he could’ve should’ve won multiple majors during that period.

If you agree with that, then the question is why?  What was preventing him from closing the deal on majors?

[klineka]

11 minutes ago, TommyRude said:

If you agree with that, then the question is why?  What was preventing him from closing the deal on majors?

Causation does not equal correlation.

Just because he "got jacked" doesn't mean that was what caused him not to win a major from 2015-2024. 

There are so many reasons other than "he was too jacked to make good swings under pressure" as to why he didn't win from 2015-2024.

First, winning a major is HARD. It requires a lot of luck and things to go your way over the course of 72 holes.

Second, there were so many good players that came along and won majors during that time period. The longer time goes on the harder and harder it becomes to win because the skill level of professional golfers as a whole increases over time.

Third, sometimes you straight up get beat, like in 2022 Rory lost to Cam Smith who shot an 8 under 64 in the final round. Rory shot a bogey free 70 and hit every single GIR. 

There were plenty of other things besides "he got too jacked to make good swings under pressure" as to why he didn't win from 2015-2024. 

In fact, since the 2015-2016 season, Rory has been inside the top 10 in Strokes Gained Tee to Green EVERY SINGLE SEASON. Think about that for a second. 9 straight seasons he was in the top 10 of a key statistical area measuring full swings and you're trying to argue that he was too jacked to make good swings under pressure while offering no facts or stats that support your claim in any way?? C'mon man that's a horrible take.

[TommyRude]

Appreciate your responses—seriously. Agreed - Rory's overall play from 2015–2024 has been elite. Twenty wins, constant top-10s, and staying in the top tier of strokes gained stats year after year is no joke. That only makes the major drought more puzzling, not less.

And yes, he’s come close—Carnoustie, St. Andrews, LACC—but that almost makes the argument more interesting. When you’ve got a guy that good, who keeps putting himself in position, why hasn’t he sealed the deal in the biggest moments?

I do think his transformation post-2014—adding noticeable muscle, changing his physical profile—might’ve altered his swing tempo, feel, or ability to stay loose under extreme pressure. Not during Thursday or even Saturday—but on the back nine on Sunday, when the mental and physical margins get razor thin, especially at Augusta.

Is this stat meaningful?  From 2016–2024, Rory lost strokes to the field on Sundays in nearly half of his major appearances, despite being dominant Thursday through Saturday. That pattern suggests it’s not just bad luck or getting beat—it’s a recurring issue with closing, under pressure.

It’s tough to measure pressure in a spreadsheet. And Augusta especially punishes any uptick in tension or loss of touch. I’m not saying “getting jacked” is the sole reason for the drought—but looking for subtle shifts that could explain why a generational talent keeps coming up just short in majors, I think it’s worth considering.

And OF COURSE - he finally got to the mountaintop, in extreme, dramatic fashion.  Maybe, as others have said, this will equate to cracking the code and going on a major run for the next 5-10 yrs?
 

[Zeph]

Watch his post-round interview @TommyRude. It provides good insight on what he's been struggling with. You look for answers in many places, but it may be as simple as nerves. He gets nervous in those situations and winning at Augusta has been a lifelong dream. It became an even more spectatular dream after winning the other majors and only missing The Masters for the career slam.

No matter how hard you look and try to analyze everything, it doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

 

[ChetlovesMer]

So, @klineka and @Zeph are you guys trying to imply that winning majors is difficult? 

Perhaps, that's why Rory becomes the first golfer (not named Tiger Woods) in almost 60 years to win a career Grand Slam? 

[Zeph]

That it’s difficult is obvious, but part of what makes it difficult is impossible to see. The mental game. Some players thrive under pressure, while others crumble completely. Having the mentality to win major events is no good if you don’t have the game for it and having the game may not be enough if the nerves and stress cause too much trouble when the heat is on.

Rory put a lot of pressure and expectations on himself, but it surely doesn’t help with all the media attention around his lack of major wins the last decade. He said in the interview that having all those legends of the game (Tiger, Jack etc.) saying he will win it one day just added to the pressure. They probably meant for those to be words of encouragement, while they had a negative effect on Rory.

Ever since Tiger dominated, new promising players were “the next Tiger”. Rory has as good a game when he’s on, but Tiger was at a different level, over a long period of time.

Anyone would be nervous in Rory’s shoes last week. How it would affect their game is very individual.

[TommyRude]

1 hour ago, Zeph said:

Watch his post-round interview @TommyRude. It provides good insight on what he's been struggling with. You look for answers in many places, but it may be as simple as nerves. He gets nervous in those situations and winning at Augusta has been a lifelong dream. It became an even more spectatular dream after winning the other majors and only missing The Masters for the career slam.

No matter how hard you look and try to analyze everything, it doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

Great interview.  Funny he mentioned the first hole double settling him down.. some dude mentioned this when it happened, pretty observant 😂

As for the complicated analysis, I wasn’t planning on doing that, but kinda got sucked in and diving deeper.  Yup… just plain nervous.  You could see it in his eyes coming off 13, he was nervous and a bit shell shocked… oh no here we go.

[RacerX]

Does TST have an annual award for worst take ever?  If so, this thread should get an early nomination.

And while Rory is in great shape, he’s far from super ripped.  IIRC, when asked he said that the green jacket he was wearing, which wasn’t tight on him at all, was a 38R.  Not exactly Schwarzenegger size.

[TommyRude]

12 minutes ago, RacerX said:

Does TST have an annual award for worst take ever?  If so, this thread should get an early nomination.

And while Rory is in great shape, he’s far from super ripped.  IIRC, when asked he said that the green jacket he was wearing, which wasn’t tight on him at all, was a 38R.  Not exactly Schwarzenegger size.

haha… I heard that question.  What a question to ask, kinda off the wall?  Do they always ask the Masters winner their jacket size?  What’s next… “hey Rory, what’s your cup size?"

[klineka]

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

So, @klineka and @Zeph are you guys trying to imply that winning majors is difficult? 

Perhaps, that's why Rory becomes the first golfer (not named Tiger Woods) in almost 60 years to win a career Grand Slam? 

I'm not trying to imply anything.

5 hours ago, klineka said:

First, winning a major is HARD. It requires a lot of luck and things to go your way over the course of 72 holes.

 

[ChetlovesMer]

3 hours ago, RacerX said:

Does TST have an annual award for worst take ever?  If so, this thread should get an early nomination.

And while Rory is in great shape, he’s far from super ripped.  IIRC, when asked he said that the green jacket he was wearing, which wasn’t tight on him at all, was a 38R.  Not exactly Schwarzenegger size.

Schwarzenegger never won The Masters either... Think about that. .....💪

[iacas]

I’ve called out the terrible “jacked” takes from the outset.

He’s not overly jacked.

[boogielicious]

 

I think if you saw Rory in person, like my wife and I did at the US Open in Brookline, you would think he was kind of thin and just looked fit like a runner. He was not bulky at all. 

[turtleback]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

I’ve called out the terrible “jacked” takes from the outset.

He’s not overly jacked.

Actually, he has a nice little set of man boobs.

If anyone looked jacked it is Bryson.

[TommyRude]

I’m not sure when these beach pics were taken?  Looks fairly recent

Below - this is an example of approx when it started.  By the way, he looks JACKED in a good way here in 2014

https://www.businessinsider.com/rory-mcilroy-jacked-masters-2014-4

Edited April 15 by TommyRude