RORY AIMS DRIVES ON THE HIGH SIDE OF THE FAIRWAYS AND “PAINTS” THE BALL AROUND AUGUSTA NATIONAL.
a good 15 yards. On Sunday, he failed to clear the bunker by a yard, a clubhead speed difference of maybe four miles per hour. You could sense his concern and determination to find his game. How do Rory and Bryson differ as golfers? Rory hits it high and naturally right to left, while Bryson will occasionally surprise with a low, penetrating bullet. Both hit it forever, but I think Rory has an extra gear of power that neither Bryson nor any- one else has. Rory is a more organic golfer, more artistic in his approach. He’s also more emotion- al in the sense that what he feels in his heart he transfers to the club. He flights the ball more im- pressively and in creative ways that again, I think, come directly from his soul. This emotional qual- ity can sometimes cut both ways. After all, he had to win this Masters while making four double bogeys. I’m not diminishing Bryson at all. When Bryson is on-point and executing, he’s capable of anything and is completely unafraid, but on bal- ance, I’d give the nod to Rory. After two holes, Rory had gone from two strokes ahead to one behind. At the par-4 third, I saw a quality in him I’d never seen before: anger – not frustration or fear, just downright anger and defi- ance. It’s not his normal way. On the third hole his plan was to lay up for position. That strategy went out the window. He smoked his drive to an ideal position just shy of the green, then, with the same angry air, hit a lovely little pitch and made a birdie to Bryson’s bogey. Then came Rory’s beautiful tee shot at the fourth and another birdie to Bryson’s bogey. Of course, so much craziness would tran- spire, but to me the tournament flipped at the fourth hole. Rory is human and imperfect, which is one reason I think the patrons fell in love with him all over again. He has the best laugh in golf – though Scottie Scheffler’s is close – and has a mischievous Irish twinkle in his eye. He likes to needle a little and can take it, too. There’s a kindness and open- ness about him that appeals to the average Joes and Janes out there. An arresting thing about Rory is that he’s not very big – just 5-9. His hands aren’t large, and he doesn’t have Popeye forearms, but he’s deceptive- ly thick around the shoulders. When you give him a friendly pat on the back, it’s like hitting rock, and his core is like iron. Then there’s his flexibility, quickness and flash speed, which you can’t teach and are off the charts. AUGUSTA NATIONAL REWARDS POWER, no doubt about that, but it’s still largely about finesse. Distance control with short irons and wedges around the green are still enormously im- portant. The golfer with the advantage is the one who chooses “high lines.” That means playing more break on putts than usual and allowing lon- ger iron shots to follow green contours more gen- erously. Rory aims drives on the high side of the fairways and “paints” the ball around that course.
When guys attack Augusta in a more head-on fash- ion, they’ll start to bleed strokes, and disasters can happen. THE ROOTING INTERESTS WERE FASCINATING to observe, especially the way they shifted. Bryson had the “bro” crowd with him, louder and brash with a lot of chirping. Rory seemed to appeal more to traditionalists. By the ninth hole, after Rory had got on track and Bryson wasn’t responding, the bro crowd became more subdued. Bryson wasn’t out of it by any means, but the sentiment had shifted permanently in Rory’s favour. The most telling moment came after Rory hit that great tee shot to the 16th green. The roar was tremendous, but then the scoreboard suddenly registered Justin Rose’s birdie on 18 to get to 11 under to tie him with Rory. The patrons groaned. It wasn’t a boo – Rose is popular and respected – but a dismaying sound that suggested this Masters may be slipping from Rory’s grasp. The patrons wanted Rory to win. Rory did something on the 17th hole that only great players do. As he prepared to hit his ap- proach, a whisper of wind came up. It was very slight, barely perceptible. Rory, even with his
SUNDAY SCARIES McIlroy’s first tee shot didn’t carry the bunker, evidence of his nerves.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 49
MAY 2025
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