Rory McIlroy hits Bay Hill looking for bounceback ahead of Masters

 

Rory McIlroy will tee it up this week in his first Arnold Palmer Invitational securely the world's No. 1 golfer – in both the rankings and in the minds of his competition.

 

Where McIlroy's game currently ranks in his own heart is a mystery.

 

McIlroy has a rare gift for making golf look easy. And then, he doesn't.

 

This is the nature of the game even for the world's best players. Yet, McIlroy seemed to have reached a point – once again – where he would be immune to wild swings of inconsistency.

 

Instead, he has fallen into another mystifying slump after a long stretch of awe-inspiring play.

 

When McIlroy opened his PGA Tour season last month at the Honda Classic, the gap between him and the rest of the field was much like Tiger Woods' dominance at his peak.

 

"He's just playing golf at a different level," Graeme McDowell said on the eve of the Honda. "It's tough to compare late '90s and early 2000s because I think the fields are [better] now. Tiger raised the bar. But I think Rory is doing to field these days what Tiger was doing back in those days.

 

"It's very impressive."

 

The next day, McIroy carded a 3-over par 73, followed it with a 74 and told reporters he was "pissed off" after missing his first cut in the United States since the 2012 U.S. Open.

 

A week later at Doral, McIlroy tossed his 3-iron into the pond off the eighth fairway after dunking his approach shot during the second round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Two days later, McIlroy had righted the ship until hitting two balls into the drink on the 18th hole.

 

With a smirk on his face, he pretended to toss the offending 3-iron into the water again.

 

Afterward, McIlroy's frustration was impossible to hide, despite a ninth-place finish.

 

"Just some shots weren't … just very unlike me," he said.

 

Bay Hill is now McIroy's opportunity for a bounce-back tournament before his shot at history during next month's Masters.

 

At age 25, McIlroy looks to complete the career Grand Slam, joining Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen.

 

Nicklaus, who completed the feat at 26, marveled, "The Grand Slam at 25? That's pretty big."

 

McIroy has breathed rare air for some time.

 

At 22, he won the 2011 U.S. Open with a record score of 16-under par. The following summer, he won the 2012 PGA Championship by a record eight strokes.

 

McIlroy then fell into a season-long slump in 2013 fueled by an equipment change and distractions in his personal life.

 

But with his victory at the 2014 Open Championship in July, McIlroy joined Nicklaus and Woods as one of three golfers with three major championship wins by 25. Last August, McIlroy then won his second PGA Championship.

 

"He's had a few mini-slumps in his career that have made him a lot stronger," Padraig Harrington, a fellow Irishmen, said leading up to the Honda. "He's had a couple of setbacks that have made him a lot better. There's nothing better than having a loss of form and come back after it better and stronger.

 

"That's great confidence to have."

 

Following his magical summer, McIlroy closed 2014 with a pair of runner-up finishes on the European Tour. He then kicked off 2015 with a three-shot win in February in Dubai.

 

"For everyone like myself who was playing against Tiger when he was doing it all, you knew he was the guy to beat," 13-time Tour winner David Toms said at the Honda. "Certainly, Rory is getting to that point."

 

But at the peak of his powers, Woods had few off weeks. His all-time record for most consecutive cuts made – 142 from 1998 to 2005 – is as impressive as his 79 wins and 14 majors.

 

"That's just ridiculous," Harrington said.

 

McIlory still is the closest thing to Woods to come along.

 

Like Woods, McIlroy overpowers golf courses off the tee and can lap the field when he has his "A" game.

 

McIlroy also has cashed in big time on his talent and fame. He earned more than $49 million in 2014, third among golfers behind Woods and Phil Mickelson.

 

Unlike the oft-taciturn Woods, McIlroy is approachable, personable and always media friendly.

 

During the Honda Pro-Am, Tom Longo was blown away when McIlroy inquired about his family and career.

 

"He came up, we were just walking, he initiated the conversation," Longo said. "That's so nice. Great personality. Great guy. You can do nothing but root for him."

 

But no matter how many majors he wins, McIlroy will never match Woods' drawing power.

 

Even so, McIlroy's decision to play this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill was a nice get for the event two years after Palmer said he was "surprised" McIlroy – world No. 1 for the first time – did not play.

 

What McIlroy shows up this week is the question.

 

Whether it is at Bay Hill, Augusta National or somewhere this summer, McIlroy will find his game. When he does, McIlroy will resume a place in golf few ever have reached.

 

"He might be the best driver of the golf ball I've ever seen," said Peter Jacobsen, a seven-time PGA Tour winner and Golf Channel analyst. "[Greg] Norman was pretty good. Nicklaus was real good. But Rory takes apart a golf course.

 

"If Rory can pace himself, there's a chance he can pass Tiger and maybe pass Jack ... who knows."

 

This article was written by Edgar Thompson from The Orlando Sentinel and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.