With a new November date for the Masters, and a revamped golf schedule that could see a number of key tournaments played in late summer and through the fall, golf great Jack Nicklaus said earlier this week that he thinks Rory McIlroy could be poised for a huge second half of 2020.
“He seems to play better in the fall,” Nicklaus said on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. “… He’s won the Tour Championship a couple times. Played in Atlanta, very similar conditions. I think this scheduling will be to Rory’s favor.”
The Golden Bear isn’t the only one who feels the fall conditions could set up nicely for the world’s current No. 1 player.
During a call on Thursday, Golf Channel analysts Justin Leonard, Brandel Chamblee and Rich Lerner all backed up Nicklaus’ comments, suggesting McIlroy could win multiple events.
“I think if we are able to play the schedule as it is laid out right now, I think it does favor a guy like Rory McIlroy, who can get on a run, keep putting himself in contention. From what I hear, I’ve never been to Augusta in November, but my guess is that the golf course could play a little bit softer. It could be a little bit cooler,” Leonard said. “You know, coming off of the summer months, my guess is that the golf course is typically a little wetter that time of year. We know how well Rory McIlroy plays in kind of softer conditions.
“I think it is an advantage for a guy like that, and also, as good of shape as he is in, too, to make a lot of big tournaments there in a short period of time, I think that not only the physical aspect of it, but the mental aspect of it will be tested when you’ve got a number of large events, talking about the PGA, the U.S. Open and The Ryder Cup in September, and then the Masters there in the middle of November. I definitely think it suits Rory McIlroy.”
— Justin Leonard
Lerner, the longtime Golf Channel host, went a step further, saying he thinks McIlroy is poised to make his mark on history with the revised slate. If the new schedule is carried out, the Tour Championship in Atlanta will be played from Sept 4-7, and the U.S. Open will now be played Sept. 17-20. The 84th Masters, which was supposed to be played this week at Augusta National Golf Club, has been re-scheduled for Nov. 9-15 in Augusta, Georgia.
“I think McIlroy could become the first bona fide legend of the post-Tiger — we’re still in kind of the Tiger era, but the post-Tiger generation, let’s just put it that way,” Lerner said. “And I think he could also lay claim to the title — maybe the best European player ever.”
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Augusta National will certainly be impacted by the schedule change, as the course will not play the same. But Brandel Chamblee also noted that cooler temperatures will impact the field’s veterans.
“I was looking at some weather charts from November for Augusta, and in 2014, the average temperature for the entire month was 49.2 degrees, and on November 19 of that year, it was 15 degrees. It can be quite cool there, obviously, that time of year,” said Chamblee, another Golf Channel analyst. “My friends who have played there in November tell me the golf course plays quite long. There is, on one hand, I think the sort of thought that the postponement of the majors in general would help, you know, the likes of Tiger (Woods) and (Brooks) Koepka and (Louis) Oosthuizen and Jason Day, who are dealing with some injuries.
“So it’s good news on that front if these events actually come forward because there were some hobbled superstars and there’s a chance they could show up in better physical condition, which is really good news. But cold temperatures are not particularly good on old backs. So yeah … I can’t imagine any scenario that doesn’t favor Rory.”
Chamblee added that McIlroy has plenty to gear up for — if the schedule remains intact, he’ll have a chance to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup champion. He also was the PGA Tour Player of the Year winner in 2019, the first time he won the award since award 2014.
“Rory seems to be playing — which is hard to believe, as close to playing the best golf of his life,” Chamblee said. “So yeah, I think it is setting up to be another epic year for Rory, and I would have thought and I think most people would agree, he’s easily a favorite to win his next major championship at some point this year.”
So can anything slow McIlroy down at this point? Notah Begay III said the one thing that could cause a hiccup for the four-time major champ is the current delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Any time you’re forced to take time off playing the kind of golf he was playing, it’s like, I finally got this thing where I want it, and now I can’t run with it,” Begay said. “I think that is a bit of a hindrance as far as, OK, how long is it going to take him to get back to running at the same sort of pace he was running at?”