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PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy has won three of the four Major Championships in golf. McIlroy is yet to secure a win in the Masters Tournament but golf insiders Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner believe this may be his lucky year.
McIlroy turned pro in 2007 and has 28 PGA Tour wins and 18 European Tour wins to his credit. He lifted the trophy in the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2014 Open Championship. He also won the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and will now attempt to win his first Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club next month.
In a recent episode of the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav, the two golf insiders discussed the Northern Irishman's career so far. They mentioned how McIlroy is in better shape than ever and will most likely be a top contender for the 2025 Masters title.
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“One of my biggest takeaways from the Florida Swing is that Rory Mcilroy might actually be the favourite for the Masters, not World no.1 Scottie Scheffler who has won two of the past three Green jackets. Rory McIlroy is more complete than he's ever been," Lavner said. (Via YouTube) [28:52]
"You look at his body of work this year never been worse than 17th in the Limited action he had on the PGA tour, also had a top-five finish on the DP World Tour,” he added.
Hoggard agreed with Lavner, saying that McIlroy's current form puts him in a better positon to win the tournament than Scottie Scheffler.
“I would put him [McIlroy] ahead of Scottie Scheffler for no other reason than based on form. Take the history out of it, his history talking about at Masters but his form this year I believe you'd have to make him the favourite,” Hoggard said. [31:55]
Lavner further added that World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler could also stand a chance at securing the title if he “shows more sharpness off the tee and into the greens.”
Last year, Scheffler clinched the Masters title, finishing at 11-under. Meanwhile, McIlroy finished at T22 with four-over.
In addition to McIlroy and Scheffler, other golfers who are qualified to tee off at Augusta National in April include Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, and Thomas Detry.
A look at Rory McIlroy’s performance on the PGA Tour so far
Rory McIlroy has played in four PGA Tour events so far this year and has won two. His first start of the year was in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links where he won with a score of 21-under.
After Pebble Beach, the 35-year-old golfer headed to The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines where he secured a T17 finish with a three-under score. He also played in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he ended at T15.
The most recent tournament Rory McIlroy competed in was the Players Championship, where he claimed the winner's title after a playoff against J.J. Spaun. He finished the tournament with a score of 12-under and secured a prize money of $4.5 million thanks to his victory.
