AUGUSTA, Ga. – All three Masters honorary starters picked Rory McIlroy to win on Thursday morning – and Jack Nicklaus may have had the best insight of all.
Nicklaus revealed that he sat for lunch with McIlroy last week in South Florida to go shot-by-shot for how McIlroy would play Augusta National.
“And he got done with the round, and I didn’t open my mouth,” Nicklaus said. “I said, ‘Well, I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.’”
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He famously won four majors by the age of 25, something only Nicklaus and Tiger Woods had done. But since claiming the PGA Championship in 2014, McIlroy hasn't won another major.
Now, though, Nicklaus thinks McIlroy is dialed in to finally win at Augusta, the one major he hasn't won. Nicklaus recounted how he sat down with McIlroy last week and discussed the nuances of the course, covering each hole on the course. “We went through it shot for shot. And he got done with the round, and I didn't open my mouth,” Nicklaus said. “And I said, ‘Well, I wouldn't change a thing. That's exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.’”
“He went to Jack for advice on how to play this golf course,” Player said. “Nobody knows better than Jack.”
To Nicklaus, McIlroy has lacked discipline at times on the course, allowing a rough hole or two to sneak its way into the mix … and if that rough hole comes late in the day on Sunday, it’s all the more painful because of McIlroy’s potential.
“He's got all the shots. He's got all the game,” Nicklaus said. “He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game.”
“He's had his adversities, his opportunities to win majors and let them slip. I think his time is right,” Player said. “I think it's just the right time for him to win now.”
Nicklaus offered up a caveat to his McIlroy pick, and a large one: “Obviously, Scottie Scheffler is just coming back in again, he's a defending champion, there's nobody playing any better in the game than Scottie,” Nicklaus said. “Between the two of them, I think you're going to find your winner.”
Notable Thursday Tee Times
All times ET
9:47 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, Min Woo Lee
9:58 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley
10:15 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (a)
1:12 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia
1:23 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry
1:34 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood
How to watch the Masters
All times ET
The first two rounds of the Masters will be shown by ESPN, while CBS will pick up coverage for the final two rounds this weekend. Tournament coverage is also simulcast on Masters.com, the Masters app, ESPN+ and Paramount+ each day.
Round 1 | Thursday, April 10
3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Round 2 | Friday, April 11
3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Round 3 | Saturday, April 12
2 p.m. - 7 p.m. | CBS
Round 4 | Sunday, April 13
2 p.m. - 7 p.m. | CBS
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