Jack Nicklaus Proven Right as Rory McIlroy Admits His Biggest Fear Ahead of Masters

“I could be sitting up here with a fifth Major title and I am not,” Rory McIlroy admitted last year during an interview. Clearly, carrying some regret. It’s obvious that his main priority now is adding that fifth major to his resume. Especially after being so close to it; T2 finishes at the 2023, & the 2024 US Open. But with just two months left before the Masters, the question on everyone’s mind is: Is he fully ready for it?

After sitting out the first four PGA Tour events, the World No. 3 made his season debut at the fifth event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. And what a debut it was. From the very first round, McIlroy made his intentions clear. He stunned fans with a slam-dunk hole-in-one on the 15th hole at Spyglass Hill. Fast forward to the event’s conclusion, McIlroy claimed victory with a solid 6-under 66 for a two-shot win.

So, everything looks great, right? Well, even the best in the game have their doubts. During his post-round interview, when asked about the “biggest challenge of getting back to your best,” McIlroy was pretty upfront about it.

“I think it’s a combination of everything. I think for me it’s always the mental side of it. That probably is the biggest barrier between me being good and being great. You know, for the most part over the course of my career I’ve had the physical attributes and hit the ball long and been able to do things that maybe some other guys aren’t able to do but it’s sometimes been my mind or my thought processes held me back a little bit,” he said.

That’s exactly what golf legend Jack Nicklaus has been saying all along. McIlroy won four Majors between 2011 and 2014, but breaking through since then has been the challenge. Nicklaus believes McIlroy has plenty of Majors left in him—but only if he can overcome the psychological hurdle. “Well, that is what he has to deal with. Psychologically, he hasn’t won for a while when he gets himself in a position, you know, like last year at Pinehurst.” Last year at the U.S. Open, he came agonizingly close, only to bogey three of the last four holes and finish one shot behind winner Bryson DeChambeau.

The 18-time major winner clearly understands the pressure and believes that McIlroy still has what it takes to win at Augusta. “The Masters, I still firmly believe Rory will win the Masters. He’s just too good not to you know. I love Roy McIlroy. I think he’s a great person. He’s a great, great guy; as talented player as there is out there, and he’s got a lot more majors in him. You just got to get ‘em out of him. And you know that’s the problem.”

But there’s a silver lining. McIlroy feels like he’s in a better mental place than ever before. Thanks to some work with coach Alan, McIlroy has been focusing on his mindset. And from the sounds of it, he’s got a new approach that’ll help him handle whatever comes his way—especially when it’s the pressure-packed Masters from April 10-13. “I think I’m much better equipped now to handle whatever is thrown my way,” he said.

So yeah, McIlroy’s definitely got his eyes set on something big. But don’t expect to see him at the next Tour event.

Rory McIlroy won’t tee up at the Phoenix Open

So, why isn’t McIlroy playing at this year’s WM Phoenix Open? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First off, McIlroy is tweaking his schedule a bit. He’s aiming to play around 22 events this year, just enough to keep his status on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. So, he’s cutting back on some tournaments, and it looks like the Phoenix Open didn’t make the cut this time around.

But it’s not just about the schedule. McIlroy also said the course just doesn’t suit his game. He said back in 2023, “I struggle off the tee here. I feel like all the fairway bunkers are right in my landing zones.”  That doesn’t exactly scream excitement for the event. Now, he did add, “I feel like I’m a good enough player to figure it out and contend and win on any golf course.” But since he didn’t play last year either, it’s safe to say he’s not in a rush to prove that one at this particular tournament.