Padraig Harrington has shed light on how Jordan Spieth’s ascent affected Rory McIlroy in the past.McIlroy clinched his first Masters title on Sunday, ending an 11-year quest to complete a career grand slam. The Northern Irish golfer had to dig deep for the coveted Green Jacket, as Justin Rose matched his 11-under-par score, pushing the competition into a nail-biting playoff. Despite the intense pressure, McIlroy managed to sink a birdie putt, wrapping up an unforgettable Masters with a finish straight out of a Hollywood script.
The 35-year-old came into Augusta riding high on the back of his victories at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Players Championship earlier this year. However, golf legend Harrington pointed out that McIlroy hasn’t always approached the Masters with such confidence, especially during Spieth’s breakout spell in 2015.
“As much as Rory’s been the best player for the last 15 years overall, we have had players come and go in that period that have shaken Rory,” Harrington told the Irish Independent. “Jordan Spieth, for sure, put Rory on edge. He was worried about [him]. So we’ve had players like that. “Scottie [Scheffler] and Xander [Schauffele] have both been injured this year. They both haven’t shown the form. So Rory knew he was the man.”
Spieth tied Tiger Woods’ course record during his 2015 Masters triumph and won the US Open title later that same year. Scheffler has won two green jackets, and Xander Schauffele netted two major wins last season. Ahead of the recent Masters, Harrington sensed that McIlroy walked into Augusta with a newfound sense of superiority over his time-honored rivals. “There was no point in everyone else telling him; he knew he was the man this year,” Harrington said, comparing it to McIlroy’s performance during his first grand slam glory at the US Open.
“Like back in 2011, he strutted his way around Congressional. It was outrageous how much he was better than everybody but knew it. “It was like [Colin Montgomerie] in the 90s back on the European Tour or Tiger Woods at his best. Rory had that feeling going into the Masters. “It wasn’t there on Sunday, in the sense that there was a nervousness. The anxiousness was there, but I think he definitely felt like he was the man.”
After meeting in Houston last month, Harrington was convinced McIlroy would finally clinch his first Masters win. Yet, his final round went against expectations, as the gravity of the moment impacted his play, leading to a rare loss of McIlroy’s trademark calm under pressure. “You just don’t see that with Rory, but that was very human,” Harrington admitted. “That’s how everybody reacts but we just don’t see it with Rory that often because I’m sure he likes winning and they’re big tournaments he’s winning, but they don’t mean as much as that one did.
“All those other wins over the last 15 years, where he has won everything over and over again…Rory has stood there and smiled for the cameras but they didn’t mean what winning the Masters meant to him, and that’s the difference.” In terms of how McIlroy’s historic competitors performed at this year’s Masters, Scheffler earned fourth place, trailing three shots behind, while Schauffele secured T8. Spieth landed slightly further back at T14.