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The Roar

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Can Rory McIlroy win the Masters and join an exclusive club?

Rory McIlroy is an Irish idol. (Photo: Wiki Commons)
Expert
6th April, 2015
2

The world’s best golfers are queueing up to try and stop Rory McIlroy from joining the elite of the elite – becoming a career Grand Slam champion.

The 25-year-old world number one has already won the US Open in 2011, the British Open in 2014, and the USPGA in 2012 and again last year.

The missing link is the US Masters, where his best finish in six starts was a tie for eighth last year.

Only five golfers are members of the exclusive career Grand Slam club.

Gene Sarazen was first cab off the rank with the Masters in 1935, the US Open in 1922 and 1932, the British Open in 1932, and the PGA in 1922, 1923, and 1933.

Ben Hogan won the Masters in 1951 and 1953, the US Open in 1948, 1950, 1951, and 1953, the British Open in 1953, and the PGA in 1946 and 1948.

Gary Player won the Masters in 1961, 1974, and 1978, the US Open in 1965, the British Open in 1959, 1968, and 1974, and the PGA in 1962 and 1972.

Jack Nicklaus won the Masters a record six times – 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986. He holds a record-equalling four US Opens – in 1962, 1967, 1972, and 1980 – with Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, and Ben Hogan. He took out the British Open in 1966, 1970, and 1978, and the PGA a record-equalling five times with Walter Hagen in 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975,and 1980.

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And Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005, the US Open in 2000, 2002, and 2008, the British Open in 2000, 2005, and 2006, and the PGA in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007.

There are six golfing legends who failed to make the exclusive club.

Walter Hagen never won a Masters in four attempts. To be fair, the inaugural Masters was in 1934 when Hagen was 42 and in the twilight of his career.

Sammy Snead never won a US Open in 31 attempts.

Arnold Palmer never won a USPGA in 36 starts.

Tom Watson never won a USPGA in 31 starts.

Sir Nick Faldo never won a US Open in 18 attempts, nor a USPGA in 22.

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And Phil Mickelson hasn’t won a US Open in 24 starts.

But the staggering stat for the Masters, that tees off early Friday morning (AEST), is 27 of the world’s top 40 ranked golfers haven’t won a major of any description.

Swede Henrik Stenson, ranked two in the world, heads the list.

Then Jordan Spieth (4), Jason Day (5), Dustin Johnson (7), Sergio Garcia (8), Jimmy Walker (10), Rickie Fowler (12), Matt Kuchar (14), Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama (16), Billy Horshel (17), Victor Dubuisson (18), Brooks Koepka (19), JB Holmes (20), Kevin Na (22), Chris Kirk (23), Ryan Palmer (25), Bill Haas (26), Ryan Moore (27), Jamie Donaldson (28), Lee Westwood (30), Ian Poulter (31), Hunter Mahan (32), Anirban Lahiri (33), Brandt Snedeker (35), Joost Luiten (38), Steve Gallaghar (39), and Matt Every (40).

Yet any one of those 27 are good enough golfers to be in contention if they put together four days.

McIlroy is the bookies favourite at $6.50, from Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson at $11, Jason Day at $13, Adam Scott at $17, with Dustin Johnson, and Henrik Stenson at $19.

Day and Scott, back to his broomstick putter, head the Australian contingent, with Marc Leishmann at $176, John Senden and Geoff Ogilvy at $301, with teenage amateur Antonio Merdaca on his Masters debut at $2001.

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But my pick is Jimmy Walker at $23, a top bet, with my smokey JB Holmes at a very healthy $51.

Bring it on.

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