Rory McIlroy’s Poor Finish At The Masters Raises Questions Going Forward

Adam Scott birdied the 10th hole of a historic two-hole playoff against Angel Cabrera to win The Masters on Sunday, but some of golf’s stars were no where to be seen at the top of the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy shot an excruciating round of 79 on Saturday and once again finished over-par at The Masters.

McIlroy has grown into one of the greatest golfers in the world since turning pro in 2007, but he hasn’t won a tournament since last November. The 23-year-old had one of his worst starts on the PGA Tour in 2013 following a loss in the first round at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship as a No. 1 seed in February.

McIlroy followed up the first round upset by withdrawing at The Honda Classic after a poor showing and finishing eighth at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. In late March, McIlroy failed to make waves at the Shell Houston Open and finished tied for 45th.

His play wasn’t showing many improvements outside of the top ten finish at Doral, but McIlroy stayed the course and regained momentum just over a week ago at the Valero Texas Open. He shot six-under par on the final day and finished second behind Martin Laird for his best finish of the year.

All signs were looking up going into The Masters, but McIlroy’s on and off consistency kept him out of the hunt on the final two days. The round of 79 on Saturday was unbearable to watch at times as McIlroy shot eight-over par on a ten-hole stretch.

August National is without a doubt one of the toughest courses in the world and McIlroy has fell apart there in the past. In 2011, McIlroy jumped out to a four-stroke lead going into the final day at The Masters but fell apart on the back nine in one of the worst break downs in a major championship of all-time.

He finished the day at eight-over for a final round of 80 in the shocking collapse. The newest Nike golfer has since won two majors, including the U.S. Open right after The Masters in 2011.

McIlroy has the talent to do it again this year, but his play as of late would say otherwise. The Northern Irishman didn’t have his best game on Sunday and wasn’t even close on Saturday.

McIlroy will play the Wells Fargo Championship later this month before The Players Championship in early May. Both events should be a great tune-up for the U.S. Open and McIlroy has every intention to compete.

“I’ve not had the best of tournaments but this gives me something to build on for the rest of the season,” McIlroy told BBC Sports after his round on Sunday.

His positive attitude towards his recent struggles could be a good sign going forward. His play, on the other hand, will need some adjustments.

Can Rory McIlroy turn things around after a poor finish at The Masters?

[Image via Creative Commons]