Rory McIlroy told to follow Jordan Spieth’s ‘surgical’ approach to win Masters
Former major champion Rich Beem believes Rory McIlroy can win the Masters by learning from the "surgical" approach of Jordan Spieth.
Spieth almost became the first debutant to win the Masters since 1979 when he finished runner-up to Bubba Watson in 2014, returning 12 months later to cruise to victory with a then-record total of 18 under par. The former world number one then held a five-shot lead with nine holes to play in the defence of his title before a late collapse, and also finished third in both 2018 and 2021 before surprisingly missing the cut last year.
McIlroy’s best finish at Augusta came 12 months ago when he surged through with a closing 64 to finish runner-up to Scottie Scheffler and Beem believes McIlroy will get his hands on a coveted green jacket to complete a career grand slam.
“I don’t think you ever crack the code when it comes to Augusta National, if you did you’d have about four people that win every other year,” the 2002 US PGA winner and Sky Sports commentator told PA. “Spieth would be one of them, Tiger Woods obviously. Phil (Mickelson) has been here more times than anyone else on the planet.
But I think that a 64 on Sunday gives you some insight into what you’re capable of. If you’re going to look at how to dissect this golf course, Jordan Spieth in 2015 dissected this golf course like a surgeon. I was sitting watching it in awe.
“If he got out of position he immediately got back into position, he never tried to do anything too brave, too heroic, so the next shot was the easiest you could possibly have under those circumstances. It was amazing.
“One of the big things about Augusta National is that you have to understand what your nuances are about the golf course. Rory’s probably got some different ones to Jordan, but I think you can always learn by watching what other guys have done.
“Rory obviously started well back in the final round last year, but you’ve got something there now that says ‘Okay, I just did something I hadn’t done here before, now I have a better understanding of what it is I’m trying to do out there’. You now have a template that worked. What would have happened if he shot 64 in the first round and plotted backwards?”
