We begin, inevitably, with Rory McIlroy. For the eleventh time, Rory arrives at Augusta with a shot at etching his name into the rarest tier of golfing greatness. A win this week would make him only the sixth player in history to complete the career Grand Slam, joining legends in Nicklaus, Woods, Hogan, Player, and Sarazen.
Although Rory’s last five finishes at the Masters include three top-10s, a true battle for the green jacket on Sunday hasn’t really been something we’ve witnessed from the Northern Irishman, due to consistently making life hard for himself after slow starts on Thursday. If this year is to be different, day 1 needs to see Rory make a statement bursting out of the blocks. For context, the last 5 masters tournament winners round 1 scores to set them up for victory have been as follows:
2024: Scottie Scheffler shot a 65 (-7)
2023: Jon Rahm opened with a 65 (-7)
2022: Scottie Scheffler recorded a 69 (-3)
2021: Hideki Matsuyama began with a 69 (-3)
2020: Dustin Johnson posted a 65 (-7) in the opening round.
In comparison to Rory’s starts during the same period:
2024: 71 (-1)
2023: 72 (Even)
2022: 73 (+1)
2021: 76 (+4)
2020: 75 (+3)
However in my opinion, this is the most confident I’ve felt in years about Rory’s chances. Being only cautiously optimistic of course as not to jinx it!
But the signs are all there. He’s already posted significant wins in 2025, claiming the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in commanding fashion with a final day 65 to reach 21 under par, and a three hole aggregate playoff win to hoist the Players Championship, overcoming challenger JJ Spaun in their dual on St. Patrick’s Day.
What’s been most impressive is how composed and assured Rory’s looked closing both victories out. There’s a noticeable calmness in his body language and decision-making, especially under pressure.
That kind of stoic-like composure in how he carries himself and strategises his rounds as of this season, in my view, has been forged during this past off-season with thanks to a major upgrade to his swing mechanics.
When you possess an elite level of predictability in your ball flight……accessing a calm, composed, and mature state becomes a significantly more viable option.
Rory has worked, one can only assume without being part of his inner circle, as hard as anyone on Tour during these past winter months to reach the top-of-backswing position he’s now confidently showcasing, just a split second before launching his ball into orbit.
This transformation process began in a rather unconventional way for the modern player. Rather than relying on immediate data or ball flight feedback, Rory reportedly locked himself in an indoor swing studio, shutting out launch monitors entirely. His sole focus: altering mechanics without distraction.
The reason for this approach? Well, Rory has a high enough golf IQ to understand that whilst making a worthwhile change, there can be a fair amount of poor shots produced in the process. Keeping his launch monitor switched off and hitting into a screen without seeing where his shots were going, ultimately ensured he couldn’t be emotionally reactive to a poor shot and try to compensate to correct. This approach provided Rory with tunnel vision on exclusively utilising video analysis along with the watchful eye of his coach Michael Bannon, to ensure the movement pattern was falling into place as they persevered with the long-term plan outlined to re-achieve a position that had brought him major success in the early stage of his career.
When Rory was playing his very best, the structure of his right arm and how it supported the club was pure gold, as per the LHS image above. Rory had slipped into a habit that still allowed him to be functional with driver, but it was costing him with his approach play in the RHS picture, where we can observe his right arm working more in behind him at the top, and as a result tipping the shaft into an across the line position where the shaft points right of his target.
However, after his work this off-season, he’s very much re-created an action much more akin to the major dominant Rory swing and this technique upgrade could well provide Rory with the edge he’s been in need of, to successfully overcome the exact challenge he’s about to be presented with this week in Georgia.
Augusta National is commonly referred to by the best players in the world as a “second shot golf course”, as so much emphasis is placed on the requirement for elite and disciplined iron play if you’re to find yourself needing to make room in your wardrobe for a new jacket come Sunday evening.
Whatever happens over these next four days, as always we are guaranteed that this tradition unlike any other is going to be one of the best viewing experiences of the year for sports fans all around the globe.
If the excitement of the year’s first Major Championship has sparked your eagerness to get your own game in shape, I am only an email (seanmarksgolf@gmail.com) away from arranging a coaching session and helping you take your golf to the next level of performance.
In-Person coaching is provided at The SMG Studio (Kilcock), The Halpenny Golf Driving Range (beside Dublin airport) and Online Coaching via Skillest as per links below:
Seán Marks PGA Professional
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