McIlroy 'Will He Complete the Final Puzzle at the Masters?'

Achieving 'Career Grand Slam' with Masters Win
Last Year's Runner-up, 6 Top 10 Finishes in Recent 8 Years
This Year's Putter Change: A Bold Move for the 'Green Jacket'

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) faces the final puzzle.

This refers to the upcoming 'Masters,' the prestigious tournament set to begin on the 6th of next month (local time) at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,545 yards) in Augusta, Georgia, USA. Winning this tournament would complete the 'Career Grand Slam,' sweeping all four different major championships. The 'Career Grand Slam' is a rare feat held by only five players: Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan (both USA), Gary Player (South Africa), Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods (both USA).

Rory McIlroy is challenging to achieve the sixth 'Career Grand Slam' in history at this year's Masters.

McIlroy won the 2011 US Open, the 2012 PGA Championship, and the 2014 Open Championship in succession. However, the Masters title has eluded him, causing frustration. He has come close to victory multiple times: 4th place in 2015, tied 10th in 2016, tied 7th in 2017, tied 5th in 2018, tied 5th in 2020, and 2nd in 2022?making six top-10 finishes in the last eight years. Last year, he showed tremendous strength by shooting 8-under par on the final day, the best daily score, but was stopped by Scottie Scheffler (USA).

McIlroy has put considerable effort into winning the Masters. Right after his 2014 Open Championship victory, he developed a strategy for Augusta and invited Jeff Knox, a member of Augusta National, to practice rounds. In 2015, he even underwent vision correction surgery to gain 'eagle eyes.' Last week, he practiced for two days at Augusta National.

Ahead of this year's Masters, McIlroy changed his putter. He switched from TaylorMade's Spider X mallet putter to Titleist's Scotty Cameron 009M prototype putter, a model similar to the one he used when winning the US Open and PGA Championship. McIlroy expressed confidence, saying, "At the Masters, I will play my own game," and added, "If I do that, I will have a chance to win."