Rory McIlroy's performance on the final day of the 2018 Augusta Masters won't be forgotten for quite some time.
Not since 2011 had he been in serious contention on the final day, and despite bringing out some of his vintage form during the opening three days, that eluded him on Sunday.
John Duggan, Managing Editor of News at Newstalk, joined OTB:AM to discuss the weekend's tournament, and he felt that McIlroy's attempt to put pressure on eventual winner Patrick Reed on Saturday night via the media was unnecessary, and could be an indication that the pressure was weighing on McIlroy as he attempted to secure the only major that's still missing from his trophy cabinet.
"The first three days he was brilliant and he didn't miss anything. He shot 65 on Saturday. He only hit eight greens yesterday".
"I found it strange that he was doing that talk on Saturday night, putting it up to Patrick Reed about how the pressure was on him, and how he had never won a major before. That struck me that the career Grand Slam was more in his head than he was letting on".
"For the first time since 2011 he put himself in a position to win it because Reed shot one-under par, it was an easy day out there with little wind, and we saw the scoring of Spieth and Fowler. I just couldn't understand his tempo at times. At seven he was exchanging clubs with Harry Diamond very quickly, at 11 he pitched it very quickly and made a bogey. I was just going, 'chill it, relax, calm down here, just take a bit of a deep breath' ".
Duggan noted how fans online continually referenced McIlroy's lost chance of an Eagle while putting on the second green, something that may have played a part in his poor display, and how that was the difference between him and the 2018 champion, Reed.
"People are going again on social media, 'did that putt on the second hole affect him?'. It shouldn't affect him. OK, he missed the putt for Eagle, but get on with it. That's what we saw with Reed all week, every time someone put it up to him he said, 'Ok, you know what? I'm going to dig in here, I'm going to make a birdie or a par to get out of it' ".
Criticism of McIlroy was always going to come about after he slipped down the leaderboard from a position of contention, with the four-time major winner having gone without one of golf's big prizes since 2014, but Duggan warned critics of writing the 28-year-old off just yet, even if he finds it tough to capture that elusive green jacket when the pressure is on.
"He's always going to be relevant because of his natural talent. I remember at Eurofield in 2013 he walked off the field and said he was braindead, then the next year he won two majors. He's always going to be relevant, he won the tour championship 18 months ago out of nowhere".
"Rory McIlroy is an artist. I still think he's the best golfer in the world in terms on natural talent. I said that before the tournament started. He was my overall tip to win, but I'd be a little bit concerned with what I saw yesterday because Rory McIlroy could go out now and win the US Open or The Open Championship but that's not the one he wants, the one he wants is the Masters".
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