The Masters 2024: Rory McIlroy feels he can still win at Augusta National despite swing ‘feeling horrific’ in round two | Golf News

Rory McIlroy nonetheless believes he has “half an opportunity” of successful The Masters and finishing the Grand Slam regardless of a birdie-less five-over 77 leaving him 10 photographs off the midway lead and his swing feeling “horrific” late in his second spherical.

The world No 2 carded three bogeys and a double bogey at a wind-ravaged Augusta Nationwide on Friday, dropping two photographs at 11 as he discovered the water, to slide to 4 over in a match that Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau lead on six below.

McIlroy mentioned afterwards he was content material simply to make the reduce – these at seven over or worse missed out on the weekend – however is refusing to rule out his hopes of securing a primary main title since 2014.

The Northern Irishman mentioned: “I nonetheless assume I can exit tomorrow and shoot a low one, get again into crimson numbers, and have half an opportunity going into Sunday.

“I received from 10 again in Dubai at the beginning of the yr. However clearly the Dubai Desert Basic and the Masters are two very completely different golf tournaments. We’ll see. My golf swing felt horrific for the final six or seven holes, simply from hitting round. Particularly that eleventh gap. I felt prefer it took an hour to play that gap.”

Rory: I attempted to hold in there as finest I might

McIlroy added: “It was cease and begin, exhausting to get right into a rhythm with the situations and clearly how sluggish the play was as properly. It was a tricky day, a extremely robust day, exhausting to make a rating.

“I felt like I did okay. Even to only to par the final 4 holes and get within the clubhouse and have a tee time tomorrow, I am fairly pleased with.

“Scoring was very troublesome. Many of the subject could not actually get something going. It was only a matter of making an attempt to hold in there as finest you may. Mentally it is a grind since you simply must attempt to commit as finest you possibly can to the shot that you simply’re making an attempt to play.

“One second you may have a shot that is enjoying 150 yards, after which if the wind does one thing completely different, the shot may very well be enjoying 180. It may very well be a 30-yard distinction.

“You must decide to making an attempt to play the appropriate shot, however you then additionally must hit it on the proper time as properly, so it is fairly difficult.”

Rahm: As exhausting a golf course as I’ve seen in a really very long time

Defending champion Jon Rahm shot a four-over 76 to make the reduce on 5 over and, like McIlroy, mentioned he struggled together with his swing.

“It is a very dangerous day to not be snug with the swing, that is for certain. I used to be combating all of it day, by no means snug,” mentioned the Spaniard, seeking to grow to be the primary back-to-back winner of The Masters since Tiger Woods.

“I did not give myself quite a lot of probabilities, and it was a final ditch effort on the finish to attempt to make the reduce. Fortunately I used to be profitable in doing so. I’ve received quite a lot of work to do if I need to have an opportunity on Sunday.

On the gusty situations, Rahm added: “A pair instances I used to be questioning why we have been on the market, particularly once I received to 18 and noticed the entire entrance of the inexperienced simply filled with sand.

“I perceive they need us to complete [but] I can think about they have been very near calling it a number of instances, particularly after we have been on the eleventh inexperienced.

“We have been getting these huge gusts each couple of minutes or so. It was extraordinarily troublesome. It is about as exhausting a golf course as I’ve seen in a really very long time.”

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