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The Masters Tournament 2024: What Are Rory McIlroy’s Winning Odds?

Looking for his fifth major title at the US Masters: Rory McIlroy. (Image: Getty)
Looking for his fifth major title at the US Masters: Rory McIlroy. (Image: Getty)

Only one week from now the Masters Tournament will hold a new champion. Well, that is of course if the reigning champion Jon Rahm doesn’t defend his title. As per usual, no major is being played without having various discussions about possible outcomes, title contenders or dark horses. When talking title contenders, none of these discussions can be had without including Rory McIlroy. We’re having a look at what the odds for a McIlroy win look like and why even though ranked second in the Official World Golf Ranking, most may not hold him as one of the favorites to win at Augusta.

Essentially, McIlroy is currently not in bad form and has repeatedly won tournaments such as the Hero Dubai Desert Classic or the Genesis Scottish Open. However, it still seems wrong to include the world number two in the tight circle of favorites on par with players like Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm. The reason for this is obvious: McIlroy has not won a major tournament in the past ten years.

The trophy cabinet desperately awaits another major title

His last victory in a major dates back to 2014 when he won the PGA Championship. It marks his fourth major title after winning the US Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012 and the Open Championship in 2014. Since then, he has been unable to fulfill his dream of a Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments. Only the Masters Tournament is missing for him to achieve this. However, considering his lack of success at majors in recent years, there are hardly any arguments to suggest why he should fulfill his Grand Slam dream at the upcoming Masters. But let’s stop the pessimism and have a look at the bright side for a moment.

Why there is hope for optimism at the Masters Tournament 2024

With all that being said, it’s not like Rory McIlroy doesn’t perform in his major appearances. In the last five years, the North Irish player placed inside the top 10 at major tournaments twelve times. He just didn’t get lucky enough to win one of them. However his past results at the Masters Tournament were very inconsistent. Last year didn’t go as planned, as he missed the cut, just like in 2021. In between he had a very close shot at the title with his runner-up finish in 2022. In 2020 he finished tied for fifth place.

His current form also suggests that a good finish at the Masters this year isn’t beyond imagination. This year started off great, with a tied runner-up finish at the Dubai Invitational and a victory in the following week. McIlroy also placed inside the top-20 at the Players Championship and secured a third place the Valero Texas Open, looking to build some confidence for the upcoming week.

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Professionals

Can Scottie Scheffler Get The Grand Slam?

Does Scottie Scheffler have what it takes to win a Grand Slam? (Source: Getty)
Does Scottie Scheffler have what it takes to win a Grand Slam? (Source: Getty)

In 119 PGA Tour events, Scottie Scheffler has made the cut an incredible 100 times, finished in the top 10 50 times and won a total of eight times on tour. These include victories at prestigious tournaments such as the WM Phoenix Open, the Players Championship and even the Masters. Scheffler has collected over 54 million dollars in prize money to date and, at the age of 27, is already one of the best golfers of his generation. But does the world number one also have what it takes to achieve a career Grand Slam?

Scottie Schefflers magical PGA Tour journey

Scottie Scheffler joined the PGA Tour in 2018 and shook up the tour just one year later. In the 2019/2020 season, Scheffler already achieved seven top 10 finishes in 23 events and showed his terrific skills on the golf course. His breakthrough finally came just one year later when he earned his first runner-up on the PGA Tour at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and advanced to the Tour Championship for the second consecutive season, finishing the season No. 22 in the FedExCup standings. Recorded eight top-10s, one more than his total from his rookie season, made the cut in 24 of 29 starts. Following the Tour Championship, he even was selected as a captain’s pick to represent the United States at the Ryder Cup, marking his first appearance at the event.

In the following two years Scottie Scheffler began to show that he is going to be one of the best golfers who has ever played on Tour. Scheffler won the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year of the 2021/20222 season. Furthermore he earned his first four PGA Tour titles in a span of only six starts, including his first major championship title, winning the WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and the Masters Tournament. After this incredible achievement he moved to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career following his third victory (March 27), becoming the 25th player in the OWGR era to reach the No. 1 position. He moved on to winning multiple times again the following season and breaking a couple of records.

2024 and grand slam hopes

In the 2024 Scottie Scheffler so far kep up his amazing golf. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and clinched the title at the Players Championship for the scond year in a row. Now, as the major season awaits, Scheffler is one of the absolute top favorites in all major tournaments. The exceptional golfer must even be expected to win the grand slam. Nevertheless it is certain that Scheffler is one of the hottest contenders alongside Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy to join the select circle of career grand slam winners.

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Equipment Professionals

McIlroy, Tiger And Co.: Golf Stars Compete In New TaylorMade Challenge

Rory McIlroy, Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods compete against each other in an Accuracy Challenge by TaylorMade. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy, Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods compete against each other in an Accuracy Challenge by TaylorMade. (Photo: Getty)

In this challenge organised by TaylorMade, the staff players of the well-known brand compete against each other. The accuracy of the professionals’ drives on the range is put to the test. Naturally, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Nelly Korda and co. will be using the latest driver from TaylorMade, the Qi10.

TaylorMade Challenge: Who hits the perfect centre?

TaylorMade wanted to answer this question and set its high-calibre staff players a demanding challenge. Using the Qi10 driver, the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour stars have to hit a narrow corridor on a slightly sloping fairway. Ten points are awarded for hitting the centre of the fairway, five points are awarded for hitting the slightly wider second area to the left and right of the centre and two points are awarded for hitting the fairway completely outside the markings.
It was by no means a one-on-one competition, with TaylorMade putting “Team USA” with Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda against “Team International” with Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Charlie Hull and Brooke Henderson.

Who can claim victory in TaylorMades “Accuracy Alley”?

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Professionals

Phil Mickelson: Brother Tim announces retirement as caddie

Tim Mickelson, Phil Mickelson's brother, is stepping down from his big brother's bag after eight years. (Source: Getty)
Tim Mickelson, Phil Mickelson's brother, is stepping down from his big brother's bag after eight years. (Source: Getty)

Phil Mickelson, six-time major winner and current LIV golfer, has to look for a new caddie. After an eight-year era at the 53-year-old’s bag, Phil’s brother Tim announced his retirement from active caddie duties on March 26.

Tim Mickelson no longer caddies for brother Phil

Phil Mickelson shared the news on social media, paying tribute to his brother for the many great experiences they had together. In a post on social media, Mickelson expressed his gratitude for their time together and emphasized how special it was for him to be able to share these successes with his brother. “There have been many great moments in my career, and to be able to share them with my brother Tim was overwhelming,” Mickelson wrote. “I’ve been fortunate to have him by my side as my caddie for the last eight years and to know him as my brother for life. So much has changed since he was single and we worked together. He has found his life partner, Maranda, they have had their second son and hopefully their family will continue to grow. Even though Tim is retiring from being a caddie, I will always remember the many great moments on the golf course and look forward to many more special moments off the course.”

Tim Mickelson, who is now 46, took over the role as his brother’s caddie two years after he stepped down as head coach of the men’s golf team at Arizona State University. During his time as his brother’s caddie, Tim was instrumental in helping Phil Mickelson win three PGA Tour titles, including the 2021 PGA Championship, which gave Mickelson his sixth major title and the record as the oldest major winner of all time.

Has Phil Mickelson already found a new caddie?

As for the succession on Mickelson’s bag, Golfweek reported that Jon Yarbrough, who caddied for Scott Stallings for nearly a decade, would start alongside Mickelson next week at the LIV Golf event at Trump Doral in Florida. Stallings confirmed that Yarbrough was no longer working with him, saying in a post on social media Tuesday directed at Yarbrough: “You made me better as a player inside the ropes and as a man outside the ropes. Thank you for everything.”

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Professionals

Restart after stadium disaster: TGL unveils new start date

The Tomorrow Golf League (TGL) is scheduled to start on January 07, 2025. (Source: Instagram @tmrwsports)
The Tomorrow Golf League (TGL) is scheduled to start on January 07, 2025. (Source: Instagram @tmrwsports)

In November 2024, a fault in the temporary power system and the backup systems caused the dome of the SoFi Center to collapse, forcing the organizers around Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to postpone the originally planned start on the 9th of January 2024. The Tomorrow Golf League (TGL) has now published the new start date.

TGL starts in January 2025

One year late, the indoor golf league is set to kick off on January 7, 2025. “In planning the launch of TGL presented by SoFi in 2025, we have now marked the first three Tuesdays in January to introduce sports fans to this new form of team golf,” explained Mike McCarley, co-founder of TMRW Sports with Woods and McIlroy. “January is a great time of year for fans looking for prime-time sporting events, and the launch of TGL will complement the start of the PGA Tour season and capitalize on ESPN’s advertising machine as part of their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs,” McCarley continued.

Six teams are currently confirmed. Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links Golf Club, Los Angeles Golf Club, TGL New York and TGL San Francisco. However, only Atlanta Drive and LAGC have full four-man squads so far. The TGL Golf squad as a whole underwent something of an upheaval at the start of 2024 when Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. Hatton was previously a member of McIlroy’s Team Boston Common before joining the Saudi Arabia-funded circuit.

How the indoor golf league works

The Tomorrow Golf League presents an innovative format that challenges the traditional rules of golf. Each event of the season is divided into two sessions, with only three of the four players on a team competing. First, they compete in “Triples”, a 3-on-3 competition over nine holes. This is followed by the “Singles”, in which three duels are played over six holes, with each player on their team playing two holes. If no decision is made, it goes into “overtime”, where the aim is to place the ball closest to the flag. The team that gets two of the three balls closer to the target wins the overtime. In addition, each player wears a microphone during the tournament.

The scoring system is similar to that of ice hockey: a win in regulation time, i.e. the triples and singles, earns a team two points, while the losing team receives none. If the game goes into overtime, the losing team receives an extra point. The regular season consists of 15 events, after which the four best teams advance to the playoffs. These include two semi-finals, which are decided after one game, and a final in a best-of-3 format.

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Professionals

Charlie Woods: Behavior of fans determines pre-qualifier in Florida

Charlie Woods had a complicated day in his attempt to qualify for the Cognizant Classic. (Photo: Getty)
Charlie Woods had a complicated day in his attempt to qualify for the Cognizant Classic. (Photo: Getty)

Attempting to secure a spot in the upcoming Cognizant Classic, the 15-year-old prodigy, son of golf legend Tiger Woods, found himself amidst unwanted attention during his qualifying round at the Lake Golf Club. While Tiger was absent, Charlie was accompanied by his mother, Elin Nordegren, for support, but what unfolded was a challenging day for the young golfer.

Charlie Woods: Complicated day for the teenager

Struggling with his drives and frequently searching for his ball in the rough, Charlie started his round with two early bogeys and compounded his difficulties with a double-bogey on the 5th hole. The real challenge came at the par-4 7th hole, where he endured a tough stretch, requiring twelve strokes to complete the hole. However, he showed resilience, bouncing back with six consecutive pars on the following holes, finishing the round with a score of 86.

Yet, it wasn’t just Charlie’s performance that garnered attention on that Thursday in Florida. The absence of ropes typically used to delineate spectator areas led to some fans encroaching upon the young golfer. Reports from “Golfweek” highlighted instances where fans approached Charlie, with one audaciously requesting his signature on his father’s book, “How I Play Golf.” When officials intervened, the response was brazen: “I live here.” Such incidents persisted throughout Charlie’s round, disrupting his focus before he ultimately left the course. However, amidst the chaos, his playing partner, Olin Brown Jr., son of three-time PGA Tour winner Olin Browne, provided unwavering support, encouraging Charlie throughout the round.

Tiger Woods’ son takes his first steps with the big boys

While a qualification for the Cognizant Classic 2024 seemed remote, Charlie’s ability to bounce back from setbacks showcased his resilience. Even if he had managed to secure a top-five finish or a tie at the Pre-Qualifier, success in the subsequent Monday Qualifier would have been necessary for entry into the main event. Nonetheless, the experience gained from participating in such a high-stakes event will undoubtedly prove invaluable for Charlie as he continues to pursue his dreams on the PGA Tour.

In conclusion, while the focus should have been on Charlie Woods’ journey and his aspirations in the world of professional golf, the unfortunate behavior of a minority of fans served as a stark reminder of the challenges young athletes like him face on their path to greatness. Despite the distractions, Charlie’s determination and talent shine through, hinting at a promising future in the sport.

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Professionals

Legends Tour: Biggest schedule and record prizepool

The Legends Tour has unveiled plans for a record-breaking 2024 season (Source: Getty)
The Legends Tour has unveiled plans for a record-breaking 2024 season (Source: Getty)

Running from April to December, this year’s globetrotting schedule will feature 20 events – featuring new tournaments set to debut in Barbados, Kenya, Mexico, Spain, the UK and Zambia, with even more additions still to be announced. They join Legends Tour staples such as the flagship Staysure PGA Seniors Championship – which will return to Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen following the success of last year’s event – and the Irish Legends at Seapoint Golf Links.

Many of the Legends Tour’s brightest stars will be eyeing up Major victory in 2024 at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores Golf Club, the US Senior Open at Newport Country Club and The Senior Open presented by Rolex at Carnoustie Golf Links. The season will culminate with the MCB Tour Championship Mauritius at Constance Belle Mare Plage, where qualifying players will contest for the John Jacobs Trophy, which was won in 2023 by former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker.

Largest prize pool in Legends Tour history

As well as the tournament silverware, some of golf’s biggest names will also be competing for the largest prize pool in Legends Tour history. The €18 million (more than €8.6 million of which will be assigned outside of the Majors of senior men’s golf – the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the US Senior Open and The Senior Open presented by Rolex) represents a 100 per cent increase since the tour returned to a full schedule in 2022 following the Covid pandemic, with $2 million to play for in the final two events on the Road to Mauritius and a bonus pool of $100,000 for the top five players in the final standings.

Complementing the drama of the professional events will be the unique Celebrity Pro-Am, which sees stars from the world of sport and entertainment competing to raise money and awareness for their chosen charities. Meanwhile, passionate amateurs can tee off alongside their heroes in the Legends Experience, the tour’s one-of-a-kind pro-am experience.

Legends Tour on the rise

The announcement suggests the global growth of the Legends Tour – which hit new heights in 2023 – is set to continue. At the end of the season, the brand announced record figures for amateur participation, spectators and social media engagement, with the latter taking total reach across all channels to over 100 million people for the first time. In November, the inaugural Vinpearl DIC Legends Vietnam – the competition’s first foray into Vietnam – embodied the expansion into new markets, including Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Central America, that has characterized the Legends Tour’s first three years.

Phil Harrison, CEO of the Legends Tour, said: “We have been working hard behind the scenes, and 2024 promises to be another incredible year for the Legends Tour. “Securing new events in some truly spectacular venues around the world is always a key objective of ours, and we are thrilled with the additions to the schedule for this season, as well as the prestigious venues we are honored to return to. “Everything – from the standard of competition to the number of amateurs getting involved – has been growing year on year, and this year will be no exception. We cannot wait to see it all unfold.”

(Text: The Azalea Group)

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Professionals

Race to Dubai Rankings: McIlroy on Top – Fleetwood best Englishman

Rory McIlroy remains on top of the Race To Dubai ranking - Tommy Fleetwood is the best English golfer. (Photos: Getty)
Rory McIlroy remains on top of the Race To Dubai ranking - Tommy Fleetwood is the best English golfer. (Photos: Getty)

The DP World Tour’s prestigious Race to Dubai continues to garner worldwide attention as players vie for supremacy. We’ve witnessed the first month of tournaments shaping up the leaderboard, with each event contributing crucial points towards the ultimate ranking. Even though Rory McIlroy did not play the last two DP World Tour events, he remains in his top position in the current Race to Dubai ranking. Notably, England has made a substantial representation with 22 players within the top 120, indicating the depth and quality of English golfers on tour.

Race To Dubai: The best English Golfers

Delving into the specifics, we observe the top English talents making their mark in the Race to Dubai standings. The highest-ranked player from England is Tommy Fleetwood, currently holding the 9th spot with 625.6 points, having played 2 events this season, including a significant win at the Dubai Invitational, the first event of the new year. Trailing him are Laurie Canter and Callum Shinkwin, placed 13th and 22nd respectively. Canter has accumulated 479.15 points from 5 events, while Shinkwin has garnered 263.4 points across 4 tournaments, showing a significant English presence in the Race To Dubai ranking. Alex Fitzpatrick at 28 and Dan Bradbury at 29 complete the English quintet in the Top 30 of the ranking.

The Top Players of the Race To Dubai

At the pinnacle of the leaderboard, Rory McIlroy shines as the leader with a commendable 1596 points from 2 events, including a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Close on his heels is Adrian Meronk in second place with 1023.4 points from 4 events, followed by Joaquin Niemann in third with 966.73 points from 3 events, including a win. The ranking continues with Zander Lombard at fourth, accruing 726.59 points from 7 tournaments, and Rikuya Hoshino completing the top-5 cadre with 715.35 points from 5 events, demonstrating the global competition’s intensity and the fierce quest to be crowned the Race to Dubai champion.

How the DP World Tour Race to Dubai works

The Race to Dubai is the season ranking of the DP World Tour (former European Tour). The top 60 players in the Race to Dubai ranking are allowed to take part in the final play-off tournament of the former European Tour at the end of the season. The season ranking also determines who is allowed to play on the DP World Tour the following year. At each tournament, the players who make the cut collect points. The total number of points awarded at a tournament depends on the value of the event. Major tournaments earn the most points. For winning a DP World Tour tournament, the winner receives at least 460 points and a good 300,000 euros.

Text is written with the help of AI

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Professionals

Adrian Meronk Rumored to Move to LIV Golf League

Adrian Meronk looks set for a move to the LIV Golf League. (Source: Getty)
Adrian Meronk looks set for a move to the LIV Golf League. (Source: Getty)

Just recently, Adrian Meronk was named Player of the Year by his DP World Tour peers, but now the Polish golfer appears to be considering a move to the LIV Golf League. Meronk, who recently became a full-fledged member of the PGA Tour, is absent from the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, officially citing health reasons. However, speculations quickly arose linking his absence to a potential impending transfer.

Adrian Meronk set to join the Cleeks

Despite improving his world ranking to 39th after a strong performance in Dubai and securing a second-place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic, it seems the 30-year-old has made the decision to explore new opportunities. Initially reported by The Times in London, there are now numerous corroborating reports confirming Meronk’s imminent joining of Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks team. The Cleeks had a disappointing season on the LIV Tour, leading to the non-renewal of contracts with Bernd Wiesberger and Graeme McDowell. With the potential addition of Adrian Meronk, Team Captain Kaymer seems to have found a prominent player to fill one of the two vacant positions. A move to LIV Golf would likely result in Meronk being suspended from the PGA Tour before officially playing a round as a tour member.

However, Meronk isn’t the only player considering a move to LIV Golf. Rumors suggest that Tyrrell Hatton, ranked 16th in the world, might also be contemplating joining the LIV Golf League. Although Hatton emphasized his commitment to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour last weekend in Dubai, LIV Golf seems to have renewed interest in the Ryder Cup player. An insider revealed that a deal with Hatton, strengthening Jon Rahm’s team, is imminent but not officially confirmed.

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Equipment Professionals

Tom McKibbin joins Team Callaway

Tom McKibbin signs with Callaway. (Photo: Callaway)
Tom McKibbin signs with Callaway. (Photo: Callaway)

Callaway today announced the signing of exciting young Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin as a new Staff Professional.

A winner on the DP World Tour after just 26 starts, the 21-year-old Northern Irish golf prodigy claimed his breakthrough victory at last year’s Porsche European Open in Germany, and will play a full complement of Callaway and Odyssey equipment, including the new Chrome Tour Golf Ball.

Tom made an incredible start to his golfing career at a very young age. He captured the Junior Honda Classic title in his age group when he was just 12-years-old, and among his many other amateur accolades, at just 16-years-old, was one of the youngest ever players to represent Ireland at the 2019 Home Internationals.

In 2019, his US success continued when he won the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina.

Prior to turning professional in 2021, Tom represented Ireland at the 2018 and 2019 European Boys’ Team Championship and played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Jacques Léglise Trophy the same years.

He will compete in his first DP World Tour tournament as a #TeamCallaway staffer at the Dubai Invitational, which begins this week.

Commenting on this important new signing, Peter Harrison, Director of Tour Relations, Callaway Golf EMEA, said: “Tom is an exciting prospect in the world of professional golf – already a proven winner – and we are proud to have yet another young star of the future join our Callaway and Odyssey families, representing us on the biggest stage.”

Tom added: “I’ve been testing new Callaway and Odyssey products with the Tour team over the winter and I can’t wait to put my new equipment into competitive play. I’ve been a long-time fan of Callaway equipment and I’m confident I can take a big step forwards in my career using their clubs and golf ball.”

Text by Callaway Golf