Els reckons there’s no way McIlroy will not win Masters at some point in his career
The 49-year-old believes that it's only a matter of time before the Northern Irishman completes the Grand Slam
ERNIE ELS says there is no way Rory McIlroy will join him and Greg Norman as ‘players who could not fail to win at Augusta’ — but never did.
Instead, Els believes McIlroy will follow the same path as Phil Mickelson, who endured an agonising wait for his first Green Jacket but then won three in seven years.
The Big Easy is not bitter about his failure to add The Masters to his two Open victories and two US Open triumphs — well, not much.
South African Els feels McIlroy has adjusted to the unique demands of Augusta earlier than he did — and that the latest change in his technique makes a Masters victory even more probable.
He explained: “Look, there’s no such thing as a certainty, is there?
“It didn’t exactly work out like that for me or Greg and it was supposed to be a case of when, not if, for both of us.
“You know, it was just a frustrating time for us. In the end it was one of those cases when it just doesn’t quite give it to you — and no matter what you do, it’s still not gonna give it to you.
“But honestly, I like Rory’s chance more and more with each passing year. He still hasn’t reached 30, so he’s got loads of time on his hands.
“I like how he’s mellowed and learned not to put too much pressure on himself. I loved the way he got his win at the Players Championship, refusing to beat himself up after finishing in the top six every week he pulled a club out of the bag.
“That said a lot about how mature he is these days.
I like Rory’s chance more and more with each passing year. He still hasn’t reached 30, so he’s got loads of time on his hands.
Ernie Els
“I think he could end up like Mickelson. When he gets over the line, he’s going to win quite a few.
“Don’t forget, Phil didn’t win the first of his three until he was almost 34.
“That was another one where my name was supposed to have already been sewn on to the inside of the Green Jacket, or
whatever they do with those things. Phil beat me by one.
“Rory’s game has always looked well suited to Augusta.
“He has been the best driver of a ball for years and the thing I see in him now is something I felt he’s needed to work on for a while.
“What he’s doing is starting to fade his second shots, which I really like.
“You know, he’s got that beautiful draw on the driver, gets the utmost out of that club, but he needs to hit cuts into his greens.
“I think his weakness has been that he has kept drawing the ball with the irons. And a lot of those greens go away from you on the irons, so he loses control with his second shots.
“If he can get that little cut going into those greens, because you’re then flighting it into a slope, that ball will hold. And if he can perfect that shot, then he’s gonna win three or four Masters, I think.”
The best Northern Irishman McIlroy has managed at Augusta so far is fourth in 2015. He tied for fifth place last year.
A Masters win would complete his Major set after triumphs in the PGA Championship — twice — the US Open and The Open.
But Els, now a few months short of his 50th birthday and resigned to his role as a Masters nearly-man, is convinced McIlroy will not be scarred by past failures or weighed down by the task of completing the Grand Slam.
He added: “When you look at it, finishing second is not that bad — I did it twice at Augusta and I had two or three other close calls as well.
“But obviously, as a competitor, you’re going for number one. You’re going to win the thing. So, in my case, I took it a little bit harsh.
“But if Rory just relaxes and says, ‘Hey, I’m inching my way nearer. I’m close, I’m really close’, it will happen.
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“Hopefully he has that mindset of saying, ‘It hasn’t quite happened, but I’m working on it’.
“He doesn’t have to start getting impatient because he’s got the best part of 20 years to make it happen.
“But I don’t think it’s going to take that long!”
