Masters chances: Can Rory McIlroy get revenge on Augusta National?
Leading up to the Masters, we'll offer up our thoughts on some of the game's best players and their chances to win at Augusta. We continue our coverage with a guy who looked unbeatable at Augusta last year ... for 63 holes.
Rory McIlroy
His 2012 so far: On the PGA Tour, Rory hasn't exactly had problems, finishing first, second and third in the three tournaments he's played. He won the Honda Classic over a loaded field, and he's playing some of the best golf of his young career.
His record at the Masters: He's played in exactly three Masters, and has a record of T20, cut, T15. But that doesn't really tell the story; last year he was thoroughly dominating the field when he utterly melted down on No. 10 on Sunday. Would he ever recover? Since he throttled the course at the U.S. Open, the very next major, that'd be a yes.
Why he could win: Why couldn't he win? McIlroy is one of the few golfers in the world who could win no matter what else the rest of the field does. At his best, there are few, if any, better than him. And he learned some hard lessons about staying focused and dialed in last year; you can bet that he won't be making that same mistake at the 10th this year.
[ Related: Dan Wetzel: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy set up perfect rivalry in time for Masters ]
Why he could fall short: The same reason any elite player could lose: because things don't quite click, and someone else is at the top of their game. If McIlroy's even at 80 percent, there aren't many guys who can beat him. Unfortunately, all of those guys are in the field this week.
Our take: He'll come close, but not close enough. This isn't going to be Rory's year, but many more will be.
And you? What's your take on Rory McIlroy's odds this week?
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
• Pat Forde: Stars playing without ego help Kentucky set a new standard for dominance
• Shaquille O'Neal hints at his plans for more teams at the new Newark arena
• Brock Lesnar blows up Twitter (and John Cena) in return to WWE