McGinley tips McIlroy for Masters glory: "He's better equipped to win the big one in April than he has ever been”
Rory McIlroy on the cover of Golf Digest
Paul McGinley reckons Rory McIlroy is "better equipped to win the big one in April than he has ever been."
The Holywood star makes his 2024 PGA Tour debut in the 80-man AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill on Thursday (4:45 pm Irish time) alongside US businessman Jeff Rhodes, Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg and Irish financier Dermot Desmond.
He's going for back-to-back wins after he followed his runner-up finish to Tommy Fleetwood in the Dubai Invitational with a fourth career win in the Dubai Desert Classic.
And McGinley is convinced the world number two is ready now to finally win the Masters and complete the career grand slam.
"I think the last couple of years, we have seen the best we've ever seen of Rory McIlroy and know that hasn't culminated in major championship wins," McGinley said on Golf Channel.
"But all the underlying statistics in his game have never been stronger. His chipping, his putting, his wedge play, all things that potentially were weaknesses in the past, have all improved.
"So he's in a good place. Winning and playing well in Dubai, I take that with a pinch of salt. That style of golf is something where he's always played well; he's won six times over in Dubai, and that style of golf course really suits him."
McGinley is more interested to see how he fares in tough weather on small, bumpy greens as he plays the Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time since 2018.
But he believes the Co Down man is more motivated than ever by the LIV Golf narrative and now has the tools to win a green jacket.
"He's a far better player than he has ever been before and I really am very buoyed with the form that he's shown and underlying statistics in the last two years," the Dubliner said.
"I think he's better equipped to face this test than he's ever been before. He's in a good spot. I think there's a bit of inspiration coming from all the talk with LIV going on.
"When his heart is engaged in something, as we saw at the Ryder Cup, that's when he's at his best. And he's certainly engaged at the moment in the game.
"I think the LIV narrative has got to have played a big part in that. So all in all, I think Rory is probably better equipped to win the big one in April than he has ever been."
This week's event will be McIlroy's third start this year but he's already planned a hectic pre-Masters schedule by following this week's $20 million Signature Event with starts in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera (Feb 15-18), the Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches (Feb 29 - Mar 3), The Players (Mar 14-17) and the Valero Texas Open (Apr 4-7) before the Masters (Apr 11-14).
"I'm a professional golfer, I play golf, it's sort of I do," McIlroy joked. "Looking at the schedule, I could have designed it in a way that was very stop-start for me and I just don't think that's been the way to get the best out of myself.
"You know, looking at the stats over the last few years, I definitely play my way into form. So playing three weeks in a row, four weeks in a row, four weeks, sometimes maybe feels like a little too much.
"But definitely I've had some really good three weeks stretches over the past few years. And I think that's the formula that allows me to really feel sharp and really feel like I'm ready to perform."
Seamus Power, who has fallen to 100th in the world rankings from a high of 28th just 13 months ago, plays at Pebble Beach on Thursday from 5:45 pm Irish time.
There are no Irish players in the field at the DP World Tour's Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies, where world number 70 is the highest-ranked player in the field following his runner-up finish to Thorbjorn Olesen in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on Sunday.
In amateur golf, Ireland's trio of entrants missed the cut in the South African Stroke Play Championship at Mount Edgecombe.
Tramore's Jack Hearn missed out by a shot on 10-over after a brace of 75s with Powerscourt's David Shiel a shot further back after rounds of 75 and 76.
Belvoir Park's Darcy Hogg missed out by nine strokes after following a 78 with an 80.
Scotland's Gregor Graham shot a second-round 65 to share the halfway lead with South Africa's Ivan Verster (67) on four-under, one shot clear of home players Jean Pierre van der Watt and Jaden Deltel.
