Despite its best efforts, the Tournament of Champions has failed in its efforts to kickstart the PGA Tour season into life.
As much of a thrill as it must be for a first-time winner to take the entire entourage on a January jolly to the idyllic Hawaii islands, some very notable names have failed to RSVP to the exclusive invite.
Rory McIlroy, perhaps, the biggest of all, as the four-time major winner likes to get things going in and around the Dubai desert to iron out any kinks ahead of the busy months ahead.
The moving of the Players Championship, often referred to as the fifth major, from May to March has helped to ignite the season, and as a result, it offers the elite players the chance to buy some form ahead of their spring stroll down Magnolia Lane.
For it’s Masters week, and while many, in fact most, players are thinking that it is the start of six months of high-profile golfing action, for McIlroy, it is effectively the season-defining seven days.
Hawaii - and Dubai - are both well and truly in the rearview mirror for those making their way up Magnolia Lane this week.
For the past ten years the County Down man has been entering the prestigious Masters tournament looking to join the very exclusive club of five who have completed the career grand slam.
Not even the great Arnold Palmer managed to win all four of the majors; his seven successes included four Masters, two Open Championships and a solitary US Open. Palmer was a three-time runner-up in the PGA Championship.
And the modern day equivalent would be Phil Mickelson whose six majors include a triple at Augusta National, two PGA Championships, and the Open in 2013. Lefty has accumulated an incredible six runner-up finishes at the US Open.
The world of golf and the list of major winners would probably read a whole lot differently had McIlroy seen out the 2011 edition of the Masters, where he looked unstoppable until the back nine on Sunday.
Leading by four shots going into the final round, McIlroy stumbled a little on the way out but then completely collapsed on the way in as he tumbled down the leaderboard to eventually finish with an eight-over 80 and a share of 14th place.
McIlroy would, of course, take the positives out of that hellish final round by going on to win the US Open later that summer, his first major, which was a springboard to further success as he would add another in 2012 – the PGA Championship – before recording back-to-back success in 2014 by landing The Open in July and following it up by securing his second Wanamaker Trophy in August.
The 2024 Masters will be McIlroy’s tenth attempt to secure the career grand slam, and while those nine efforts have yielded six top-ten finishes, including second place in 2022, a trip to The Butler Cabin remains on the to-do list.
That PGA win in August 2014 was McIlroy’s last major win, and while the disappointment of starting each summer without a green jacket must have played some small part in the process of preparing for all subsequent tournaments, it is not as if he has slumped through each season.
McIlroy has won 13 PGA Tour events since his last major and has the record amount of FedEx Cup wins, securing the season-ending trophy three times. When put into perspective, only Tiger Woods has managed to win it more than once.
Heading into this year’s Masters, McIlroy’s game looks to be in a very good place as he goes again in search of the green jacket for his career grand slam, while also seeking to become the first Irish golfer to win the Masters.
Currently ranked second in the world, McIlroy opted to play the week before the Masters and finished on Sunday with a week’s best at the Valero Texas Open, shooting 66 to finish in third place.
It was McIlroy’s best showing this year on the PGA Tour, with his only other top 20 coming in the Players, where he shared 19th place – he did enjoy a win and a runners-up finish in Dubai in January, so overall it has been a very good year so far.
And perhaps his recent Butch Harmon session will prove the fine-tuning needed ahead of this week’s Masters, with the golf guru tasked with stopping McIlroy’s irons from leaking left.
McIlroy has added that Justin Thomas manoeuvre of checking the club is setting in the right place before swinging and it appears to be working for the Holywood man.
McIlroy’s driving will naturally put him in position to attack Augusta National, while he believes that his putting issues have been addressed sufficiently with the mallet move.
So it remains to be seen if he can use that final Harmon tweak to allow him to dial in his mid-to-short irons to really have a go around Augusta.
Not renowned for his fast starts in majors – there have been exceptions, the aforementioned 2011 Masters being one – it is imperative that McIlroy remains in the mix on Thursday and Friday before letting loose at the weekend.
That infamous final round in 2011 did, in fact, spark an incredible back-nine battle with a trio of compatriots, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy all vying to become the first Aussie to don the green jacket, alongside Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Angel Cabrera, however, it was Charl Schwartzel who stormed home with four birdies on the final four holes.
"The majors begin on the back nine on Sunday" is a phrase that can be rolled out for every one of the four, however, it is particularly relevant to the Masters as the familiarity of playing the same track every year comes into effect, coupled with the fact that once past Amen Corner, the course and final day pin positions offer every chance to complete a closing charge.
Once over the water at 12 – look away Jordan Spieth – there are two eagle opportunities on 13 and 15, a hole-in-one teaser on the par three 16th, while even the 18th hole offers up a chance to finish in style.
Ten years a trying, there is no doubt that McIlroy will have worked out his best strategy for this year’s tilt at the title, and while there is every chance of playing his best golf at the famed track this week, it may still not be enough as there is one player whose best golf is head and shoulders above everyone else these days, and Scottie Scheffler already has one green jacket in the locker room already.
Follow a live blog of this year's Masters on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. And follow our Masters build-up with RTE Sport's Greg Allen in Augusta.
