“The worst afternoon I’ve had on a golf course.”
That’s how Rory McIlroy described his final round Masters collapse soon after he left the eighteenth green at Augusta. He cut the figure of a defeated man, with it clear to see he had endured the nightmare round of his career to date.
McIlroy went into Sunday with a four shot lead, but after a disastrous back nine the 21-year-old finished tied fifteenth, allowing Charl Schwartzel to emerge from the pack to clinch his first major with a score of 14 under par.
After leading for the majority of the first 63 holes, it appeared to be McIlroy’s time to win his first major, but such pressure on young shoulders proved too much in an afternoon that will go down in golf history.
Throughout the first three rounds McIlroy performed with a maturity beyond his years, but with a final round score of 80 came a reminder that this young talent still has some way to go before it is his time to clinch a major title.
Playing with a swagger
Throughout McIlroy’s first three rounds at Augusta it was hard to believe that he is a player of huge inexperience in comparison to many of his competitors, with this only his tenth major appearance.
He was playing like a man who had been there and done it, when in reality he is player who missed the cut in last year’s competition and finished 20th in his debut Masters in 2009.
McIlroy carded an impressive seven under par 65 for his first round, which gave him a share of the lead with Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.
This brought back memories of last year’s Open, where McIlroy led the field after carding a 63 in his opening round, only to fall away with a second round 80.
McIlroy though was proving his doubters wrong as he continued to perform with a confidence and swagger of a man looking to add to his major success, not one hunting down his first.
McIlroy was using last year’s experience at St Andrew’s to his advantage, showing a great level of maturity as he carded a three under par round of 69 to take the outright lead by two at the halfway stage.
For all his youth he again appeared calm on day three, allowing fans to dream that maybe he is ready to clinch a major title and that coveted green jacket.
McIlroy again was in fine form, carding a two under par 70 to go into the final day with a four shot lead.
Overnight this left every one pondering. After only winning two Tour titles to date, could he handle the pressure of leading a major? Can he emulate Tiger Woods by winning his first major title at the age of 21? Will this be the first of many to come for Europe’s best young talent?
Unfortunately the answer was ‘no’ to all of the above.
Pressure proves too much
After cutting a cool character for the first three rounds, McIlroy appeared nervous on the final day. Augusta nerves will creep in for every leader at the Masters, the question is ‘can you handle them?’ Unfortunately for McIlroy, he simply couldn’t.
It wasn’t an act, it was obvious McIlroy thrived on leading such an event. Up until the Sunday he was enjoying the pressure, but it takes a calm head and sometimes luck to finish the job and it’s fair to say the Northern Irish man had neither.
Despite the nerves McIlroy was still in the lead going into the back nine, but the wheels came off at the worst possible time.
After driving against a tree McIlroy found himself amongst the cabins, quite a distance left of the fairway. After a string of errors the 21-year-old carded a triple bogey seven, leaving him on eight under for the tournament.
It was time for McIlroy to revert to the calm character of the previous first three days but instead this was the beginning of the end of his Masters dream.
He went on to drop three more shots on the next two holes putting him back to five under par for the weekend, a score which showed this youngster from Belfast’s Holywood Golf Club was not yet ready to join golf’s elite.
The Future
McIlroy has proven in the past he has the ability to bounce back from disappointments. After carding 80 in that second round at the home of golf last year he still went on to card two following scores in the 60’s to finish in third position. This shows he has the mental strength to use every disappointment as a catalyst to make him a stronger person – something he must do again following Sunday’s events.
With only two Tour wins to date McIlroy’s aim must now be to start picking up Tour titles more regularly, and with it he will be learning the art of winning golf tournaments.
People forget he is a player of huge inexperience, but it is his youth that gives you promise that he will no doubt have many opportunities in the future to right the wrongs of Augusta 2011.
McIlroy proved over 63 holes he has the talent to compete with the game’s elite, and with the required experience it will only be a case of when, and not if, this young man wins his first major title.