Jack Nicklaus has revealed that Rory McIlroy sought advice from him on how to win at Augusta National, after the pair sat down for a spot of lunch last week ahead of the Masters.
The six-time Masters champion teed off alongside fellow legends Gary Player and Tom Watson on Thursday morning as the 89th edition of the illustrious tournament got underway.
But all eyes are on the Northern Irishman this week, with the four-time major winner coming into a brilliant vein of form, winning two PGA Tour events already this season, ahead of The Masters.
This tournament has eluded McIlroy for so long and he is desperate to finally break his 11-year duck to win a major, win the career grand slam and finally don the coveted Green Jacket.
His best finish around this track came in 2022, where he was beaten to the Green Jacket by Scottie Scheffler, finishing T2 on the leaderboard.
Eager to finally end his Augusta hoodoo, McIlroy sought out advice last week from someone who knows how to win at Augusta.
Sat in the press, Player mentioned that McIlroy had sat down with Nicklaus over lunch last week. The pair spoke on how the Northern Irishman had planned play the tournament.
The Golden Bear stands alone as having won the most-ever Green Jackets (six), with Tiger Woods trailing him by one and Player put it brilliantly.
‘Nobody knows better than Jack,’ he said, adding: ‘He [McIlroy] went to Jack for advice on how to play this golf course.’
Nicklaus then opened up on their meeting, but interestingly revealed he was unable to find fault with McIlroy’s strategy, after listening to the 35-year-old walk him through how he intends to play Augusta, shot-by-shot.
‘I think it’s about time that Rory won,’ Nicklaus, who won 18 majors in his career, said.
‘I sat down with Rory last week and we had lunch, and we were talking, and I said, Rory, I know you prepared for Augusta; tell me how you’re going to play the golf course.
‘We went through it shot for shot. And he got done with the round, and I didn’t open my mouth. And I said, well, I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.’
Nicklaus, Player and Watson were unanimous on who was going to win this year – McIlroy.
But Nicklaus lifted the lid on the one thing that the Northern Irishman has lacked in the past which has prevented him from winning the Green Jacket.
‘The discipline to do that is — the discipline is what Rory has lacked in my opinion. He’s got all the shots. He’s got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game,’ Nicklaus said.
‘But if you look, go back and see his history the last few years, he gets to a place a lot of times an 8 or a 7 pops up, and that keeps you from getting to where he needs to go. I’m a big fan of Rory’s and I like Rory a lot, so that’s what I think.
‘But I think obviously Scottie Scheffler is just coming back in again, he’s a defending champion, and there’s nobody playing any better in the game than Scottie. Between the two of them, I think you’re going to find your winner.’
Nicklaus also commented on what the future looks like for Woods, who is currently not present at Augusta as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles injury.
‘I think Tiger will get well and Tiger will be back and play — Tiger will be 50 next year,’ he said.
‘I believe he’ll probably play the Senior Tour and I believe he’ll probably dominate the Senior Tour. Tiger is too much of a competitor to not play.
‘I don’t believe he will not play. I believe he will play. I don’t think Tiger will play for money. He doesn’t need money. Tiger will play for the competition. He loves competition, and he’s very good at it, obviously.’
He added: ‘Tiger has had his issues, and he’s overcome most all of them each time he’s had them. I fully expect him to do that again.’
Player added that he couldn’t believe how unlucky Woods has been with injuries over the years.
‘Well, I think Tiger has been very unlucky to have these injuries. I mean, he was starting to play again, and you get Achilles tendon and he has back problems, and golf is conducive to giving you a back problem,’ the South African said.
‘I think almost everybody who plays golf long enough has a new hip or a spine operation of some kind, and some of their bodies are different than others. Everybody is different, as your fingerprints are all different. So he’s been unlucky.’
