When Rory McIlroy claimed the PGA Championship in 2014, a career Grand Slam appeared tantalizingly close for the Irishman. McIlroy had won The Open just a month earlier and his triumph in the PGA Championship meant The Masters was the only major missing from his CV.
Five years on, the Briton is still looking to add that elusive Green Jacket to his trophy cabinet. Bookmakers, however, believe McIlroy's quest could finally end this weekend. He begins The Masters as the favorite to clinch the first major of the season.
According to OddsShark, the 29-year-old is a 7/1 (+700 in moneyline terms) favorite to win in Augusta, Georgia.
McIlroy brought a 12-month wait for success in March when he won the Players Championship and while he has never won The Masters, he clearly has a feeling with the golf course, finishing in the top-10 in the last five years.
Should he triumph at Augusta, the four-time major winner would become the first golfer from Northern Ireland to wear the Green Jacket. However, McIlroy insisted the opportunity to make history and the chance of becoming only the sixth player ever to complete a career Grand Slam were not weighing him down.
"I'd love to win it," McIlroy told The Guardian earlier this week.
"I'm going out there to try my best. Indifferent maybe sounds wrong but I'm not at the point where it's a burden to me. Not at all."
Behind McIlroy, the field is wide open. Dustin Johnson is at 10/1, followed by world number one Justin Rose and Tiger Woods both at 14/1.
Since finishing 10th at The Masters last year, Johnson has won three tournaments, with the most recent triumph coming at the WGC-Mexico Championship in February.
Rose has also already won a tournament this year, while Woods brought a five-year wait for win to an end in 2018 as he triumphed in the Tour Championship.
After missing The Masters in 2016 and 2017, Tiger finished tied 32nd at Augusta last year. However, he finished tied sixth at The Open and then second at the PGA Championship, his best result in a major since finishing second at the same tournament in 2009.
Considering he had fallen to number 1,199 in the PGA rankings at the end of 2017 and he's now the number 12 in the world, Woods' comeback has been absolutely remarkable
However, winning The Masters would add a complete different dimension to his return.
Tiger last won a major in 2008 and 11 years is a long time in professional golf. However, history shows it can be done. Ben Crenshaw triumphed at Augusta in 1984 and then had to wait until 1995 to land another major.
A four-time Masters champion—second only to Jack Nicklaus in the all-time list—Woods has a special relationship with Augusta National Golf Club, making the cut in each of his 19th appearances.
If there was a course one would back Tiger to make history on, Augusta is probably that course.
Masters tournament odds
7/1—Rory McIlroy
10/1—Dustin Johnson
14/1—Tiger Woods, Justin Rose
16/1—Jon Rahm
18/1—Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler
22/1—Francesco Molinari
25/1—Brooks Koepka, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood
28/1—Jason Day
33/1—Bryson DeChambeau, Bubba Watson, Hideki Matsuyama
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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