Rory McIlroy is trying to do something this week that very few other golfers have done, but Tiger Woods is the one who's done so. With a victory at Augusta National this weekend, McIlroy would have won all four individual Major titles, denoting a career Grand Slam.
A Grand Slam involves winning all of them within a calendar year, which even fewer have ever done, but winning them all at any point is an incredible feat. It's one that most golfers aren't even close to, but McIlroy is on the cusp and Woods has already achieved it.
Woods had accumulated all individual titles by 2000, and he has only added to his total since. McIlroy has had three under his belt for almost a decade, and every year the same question is asked: will he do it?
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Woods is confident that he will, saying (22:30 mark) to media including Sportskeeda:
"No question, he'll do it at some point. Rory's too talented, too good and he's going to be playing this event for a very long time. He'll get it done. It's just a matter of when. Yes, I think Rory will be a great Masters champion one day. It could be this week, you never know."
He continued:
"Just, again, the talent he has, the way he plays the game. The golf course fits his eye, and it's just a matter of time."
The odds certainly like McIlroy's chances. He has the second-best odds heading into the tournament. He's just behind Scottie Scheffler and is actually ahead of defending champion Jon Rahm.
He is getting older every year, but Woods firmly believes that the Irishman will be in this tournament for a long time, and that he's too good to let every single opportunity slip by.
Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player are the only ones to have done it. McIlroy is striving to add his name to the group as is Jordan Spieth, who still needs a PGA Championship to his name.
Tiger Woods' health a topic of discussion for Masters
Last year, Tiger Woods made the cut at the Masters, continuing his record streak of doing so, and had to shortly thereafter withdraw with injury. He would go on to have surgery and miss six months, and his health has long been a topic of discussion in golf.
As for the Masters, his ankle is fine, but other issues prevail. He said via Sporting News:
"I hurt every day. I ache every day. I prefer warm, humid and hot... The ankle doesn't hurt anymore. It's fused, that's not going anywhere. It's other parts of my body that now have to take the brunt of it. The back, the knee, other parts of the body."
Tiger Woods is reportedly dealing with lower back pain and other ailments. These issues aren't totally unforeseen, but they do provide some complications that he will have to endure if he's to perform at Augusta National this weekend.
