AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy left Augusta National after competing in his sixth Masters encouraged, but bewildered.
McIlroy finished the tournament even par and tied for eighth, which is the best Masters result of his career, yet he was never in contention all week. His final-round 3-under-par 69 inched him up the leaderboard, but left him wondering what might have been.
“I played the par-5s in even par this week, which you just can’t do out here,’’ McIlroy said. “I’m even par for the tournament and even par for the par-5s. You’re looking to play the par-5s somewhere around 10 to 12-under par. Obviously, if I had of done that it would have been a different story.’’
Ironically, McIlroy’s previous best Masters finish — a tie for 15th in 2011 — came after he had led the tournament by four shots entering the final round.
This week was different. McIlroy, who barely made the cut at 4-over par, hitting it on the number after rounds of 71 and 77, was never a factor in the final outcome. His 71-69 finish came, essentially in garbage time.
“It’s been a frustrating week, because I felt like from tee-to-green I played as good as the leaders,’’ McIlroy said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played as good tee-to-green around this course as I have this week. I just need to take advantage of some more chances that I’ve given myself on the greens.’’
He called the learning curve at Augusta “big,’’ adding, “I’m really comfortable on the tees. I’m really comfortable with the second shots. I’m comfortable on the golf course. I figured something in my putting today on the 6th hole, and then I putted a little better after that.’’
McIlroy said he was “proud’’ of himself for bouncing back from some disappointments this week.
“I know I can do well here,’’ he said. “I feel more comfortable here. I feel like I can go out and play my game and hit the shots. I’m definitely not as tentative around this place as I used to be. I’m becoming a lot more aggressive and hitting iron shots closer. I’m not as scared with some of the trouble, the runoffs, because you know what to expect.
“It’s just a matter of making the most of my chances because I gave myself plenty of chances here this week. If I had converted a few more and played the par-5s better, it could have been a different story.’’