McIlroy, a historic record in sight [Masters]

If He Wins the Masters, McIlroy Will Complete the Career Grand Slam
Only Five Have Achieved It: Sarazen, Player, Nicklaus, Woods, and Hogan
Two Wins This Year Show His Peak Form and a Ripening Atmosphere

The atmosphere for achieving a great record has ripened.

It is the great challenge of Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), world No. 2. He is attempting the sixth career Grand Slam in professional golf history. The battleground is the Masters Tournament, the first major of the year, which opens on the 10th (local time) at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,555 yards) in Augusta, Georgia, USA. This year marks the 89th edition. Only 95 players participated. It is the only major tournament held every year on the same course, known as the "Masters Showdown."

Lori McIlroy is walking on the 17th hole during the Masters practice round. Augusta=AFP Yonhap News Photo by AFP

The career Grand Slam is a rare record of winning all four different major championships. So far, only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan (both USA), Gary Player (South Africa), Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods (both USA) have achieved it. McIlroy has won the US Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012, 2014), and The Open Championship (2014) among the majors. If he raises the trophy at the Masters, he will complete the career Grand Slam.

Since 2009, McIlroy has participated in the Masters 16 times through last year, with his best result being runner-up in 2022 behind Scottie Scheffler, and he finished tied for 22nd last year. In 2011, he was tied for second and led by four strokes after the third round but faltered in the final round, shooting an 80 and dropping to a tie for 15th, showing a peculiar lack of success at the Masters. It is of great interest whether he will quench his nearly 11-year major championship drought at Augusta and complete the career Grand Slam.

He has shown a clear upward trend recently. His condition is at its best. He secured two wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and last month’s The Players Championship, known as the fifth major. These are his 28th career wins. His powerful long drives remain, and his green play has improved, making this a great opportunity to collect the winner’s trophy. Before this tournament, he is leading the FedEx Cup rankings (1,683 points), prize money ($9,057,558), and scoring average (69.28 strokes).