Rory McIlroy is among the favourites to win the 2025 Masters but can he take the final step and clinch the Grand Slam?
It's that time of year again. Rory McIlroy's bid for golfing immortality returns to the scene of some of his nearest and most heartbreaking misses.
One of the most talented golfers of his generation, McIlroy has to defy the doubters to end his 11-year Major drought at the 2025 Masters.
McIlroy's Augusta record is certainly one not to be sniffed at. The 35-year-old has finished in the top 25 12 times out of 16. He has seven top 10s, four top fives and a best of 2nd in 2022 - the year of Scottie Scheffler's first Masters victory.
That man Scheffler is the only man favoured more by the bookmakers going into 2025. The American can be backed at a best price of 11/2 on AK Bets (shortest 7/2). So, what price for a McIlroy win on Sunday?
Rory McIlroy Odds to Win the Masters
Rory McIlroy is a best price 15/2 on Midnite (shortest 5/1) to win the 2025 Masters. Since the start of April, almost 6% of bets in the winner market through oddschecker have gone the way of McIlroy - significantly more than anyone else in the field. Scheffler has 4.4% support, with Ludvig Aberg rounding out the top three with 4.3%.
Aberg is well-fancied by Oddschecker+ Premium tipster Ginger Joe, who had McIlroy at the top of his list of high ranked players to avoid. He's also put together a player-by-player guide for the top 30 in the odds.
He said the following on the Northern Irishman's chances:
"There is no questioning the talent or the ability of Rory McIlroy but there are a lot of aspects that contribute to him not being able to win that green jacket.
"The first thing to mention is the expectation on his shoulders and this has become evidently stressful for Rory when attending Augusta and to my eye, he has a clear mental block around Augusta. I do think his raw ability could have him in the Top 5 or 10 but I don’t think he will cross the line as the winner here.
"Another reason I can’t have him for Augusta too is the fact that he hits a big draw with his irons and that is not ideal for Augusta National. Of course there are holes where you have no choice other than to hit a draw into the green, but for the most part and history will tell you this, that you need to hit a soft fade.
"The reason for this is that the greens around this golf course are so receptive, so fast and so undulating, that you need a softer spin shot on the approach to find the flatter spots. Hitting a draw round here applies so much more spring on the golf ball, and that makes it hard to find the right spots on the green.
"Rory does play by hitting the ball both ways but at Augusta he has persisted to hit a draw and I am not a fan of that whatsoever. There is a prime example from last year’s Masters on the Friday when he played with Scottie Scheffler.
"They were both side by side on the hill on the 11th and Rory hit a big draw on his approach, applied too much spin and ended up in the water, whereas Scottie Scheffler flighted down a 7 iron and kept himself away from trouble.
"That is the difference here. I think Rory McIlroy has a lot to overcome in his mental game and his course gameplan too before winning here. He is coming into this in good enough form to play well, but he still has a lot of elements to get over for win purposes."
For five Masters tips from Niall Lyons, click here.
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