Jack Nicklaus says Rory McIlroy has 'very, very good chance to repeat' as Masters champion
Only three players have won the Masters in back-to-back years. Jack Nicklaus believes Rory McIlroy has a good shot to become the fourth this week at Augusta National. “Rory’s got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat,” Nicklaus said Thursday after serving as the Masters' honorary starter.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Only three players have won the Masters in back-to-back years. Jack Nicklaus believes Rory McIlroy has a good shot to become the fourth this week at Augusta National.
“Rory’s got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat,” Nicklaus said Thursday after serving as the Masters' honorary starter . After years of heartbreak and close calls at Augusta National, McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a playoff last April to complete the career Grand Slam in his 17th Masters start. Nicklaus was the first to repeat at the Masters, winning in 1965 and 1966.
Nick Faldo (1989–90) and Tiger Woods (2001–02) matched his feat, but nobody has been able to repeat since. Nicklaus said it's not easy. He broke the Masters scoring record with a 17-under 271 in 1965, then returned the following year to find a course with a much different feel.
Nicklaus finished 17 shots worse at even-par 288, but still won in a playoff. “You had totally different conditions, and that’s what you put up with,” said Nicklaus, who has won a record six Masters. “If you’re going to win two years in a row, you’ll find conditions you like and maybe you don’t find conditions you like, but you’ve got to adjust to both of those.