Rory McIlroy has stated that altering his golf game isn't currently the right decision, but he acknowledges that the time for change may come.
The Holywood native posted a 73 to conclude four over par for this year's Masters, tied for 22nd place, meaning the elusive fifth major victory continues to evade him.
McIlroy's most recent major triumph was at the 2014 PGA Championship. He is a four-time major champion, securing victories at the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship, and 2014 PGA Championship. However, since 2014, he has fallen short of claiming a fifth major title.
Throughout this period, McIlroy has clinched other accolades and ascended to the summit of golf's world rankings, but none hold as much significance for him as the Masters.
Yet, despite his efforts, he hasn't managed to secure another major win, while some of his peers have succeeded in prestigious golf tournaments. The narrative surrounding McIlroy's pursuit of greatness will persist until he breaks his major drought.
When questioned about potential changes needed in his game, McIlroy rejected the notion of needing to overhaul his approach to golf at this moment.
"It’s probably not the right time to be analytical at the moment, but I think if you’re really going to make wholesale changes, it’s hard to play a lot of golf and make them at the same time," McIlroy said at Augusta.
“I don’t feel like I need to make wholesale changes. That’s why I’m playing a lot."
Death, taxes and Rory McIlroy struggling at the Masters.
Every. Single. Year. pic.twitter.com/Dtx1LQdNDa
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) April 12, 2024
Nevertheless, McIlroy concedes that changes may be necessary in the future.
“But if the time comes that I need to make wholesale changes with my golf swing and really try to reassess, it could be a six-month-to-a-year process," he added.
“I'm not saying I wouldn’t play any tournaments at that time, but the focus would be on the technical side of things and really not result-driven at all.
“I don’t think I’m there yet, but there may come a time where I need to address that and really go back to the drawing board. But I think right now it’s little tweaks here and there and managing my game.
“I really feel like I can sort of play my way into form here over these next few weeks.”
McIlroy also reflected on his performance at the 2024 Masters, saying disappointment with this year's finish, which he considers the most disappointing in the last two years. He believes he didn't play as poorly as the scoreboard suggests but admits he left himself with too much ground to cover.
"I'm probably more disappointed in the last two years than I am standing here talking to you now, finishing in a much worse position. I took it on the chin over the last day and a half that I wasn't going to contend this year; I was doing my best to finish as high up the leaderboard as I could. For me, eight over par was the best I could do.
"Things went against me early on today; I felt I didn't play badly; I just left, leaving myself eight feet for par, and kept missing them. I felt like over the last ten holes I played really nice golf."
