Johnson, McIlroy seeking exclusive company at the Masters

Rory McIlroy stopped by to encourage Tiger Woods as he recovers from multiple leg injuries and might have come away with some inspiration of his own.

“In his family room he's got this trophy cabinet and it's his 15 major trophies,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “I said, ‘That’s really cool. Where are all the others?' He said, ‘I don’t know.'"

Woods — who isn't playing this year because of injuries from a car crash in February — has 82 victories on the PGA Tour alone, a record he shares with Sam Snead, and more than a dozen others from the European, Asian, Japan and Australian tours.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP PhotoDavid J. Phillip)

“He said, ‘Yeah, my mom has some, and a few are in the office and a few are wherever,’” McIlroy said. “I was driving home and I was thinking, ‘That’s all he cared about. So how easy that must have felt for him to win all the others.' That was just always in my mind. He talked about, ‘These are the four weeks that matter.’”

Only one week matters to McIlroy at the moment, and not just because it's the first full week in April at Augusta National.

The Masters — Woods has five of those silver trophies — is the one major keeping McIlroy from joining the most elite company in golf by completing the career Grand Slam. Woods was the most recent in 2000. The others are Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks across the green on the 13th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP PhotoDavid J. Phillip)

He isn't alone in his pursuit of trying to join an exclusive group.

McIlroy played his first practice round of the week with Dustin Johnson, the defending champion who established the scoring record of 20-under 268 in November when the course was much softer.

Only three other players have won the Masters back-to-back. Woods — him again — was the last to achieve that in 2002. Johnson isn't much on history, but he knew that one.

The azaleas are beginning to pop as Dustin Johnson hits his bunker shot to the 12th green during his practice round for the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (Curtis ComptonAtlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

He also knows it won't be easy.

“You're going to have to put four good rounds together, especially with normal conditions," Johnson said. "You've got to do everything well. And with it firm and fast, it's just a really hard golf course because any hole at any time can jump out and get you.

“It just very tough to win once, and especially multiple times.”

Dustin Johnson swings on the range after a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP PhotoCharlie Riedel)

Those two words — firm and fast — are being mentioned about as much as green and jacket, and for good reason. Even with the tournament two days away from starting, shots landing on the greens are making a hollow sound that indicates this won't be target practice.

“It was obviously still the same golf course tee-to-green, but it was a different golf course at the same time,” Thomas said after a Tuesday practice round with McIlroy. “Any sort of past memory that you had, you almost had to throw it out the window.”

McIlroy has a mixed bag of memories. It's hard to overlook 2011, when he was 21 and had curly locks spilling out from under his cap. He built a four-shot lead going into the last round and was on the verge of winning his first major until a series of big blunders — a tee shot into the cabins left of No. 10, a four-putt on No. 12, a tee shot left of the Rae's Creek tributary on No. 13. It added to an 80.

Dustin Johnson walks to the 13th green during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP PhotoDavid J. Phillip)

That's as close as he's come to a green jacket. In his second try at completing the career Grand Slam, he played in the final group with Jordan Spieth in 2016 and shot himself out of it with a 77. Two years later, he shot 65 to get into the final group with Patrick Reed and shot 74.

Good and bad, he tries to draw from both.

Different about this year is the state of his game. McIlroy hasn't won since Shanghai in the fall of 2019, and he got caught up chasing speed and distance after watching Bryson DeChambeau overpower Winged Foot to win the U.S. Open. With his longtime coach unable to travel as much, McIlroy said he has brought on famed English instructor Pete Cowen.

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, watches his tee shot on the 13th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP PhotoGregory Bull)

He talked about a “big picture” at Augusta, not a sense of urgency.

“I’m obviously focused on this week, but it’s bigger than that,” McIlroy said. “It’s a journey, right? And it’s a journey to try to get back to playing the game the way I know that I can play the game.”

The lesson imparted from Cowen is to not to look back at what he's done in a bid to go forward. McIlroy has won four majors — the PGA Championship twice, the U.S. Open and the British Open — though he is approaching the seven-year anniversary of his last major title.

The azaleas are beginning to pop as Jordan Spieth chips to the 13th green during his practice round for the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (Curtis ComptonAtlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

He not under as much scrutiny as recent years, certainly not in 2015, his first crack at the Grand Slam.

“It feels a little more relaxed this week, which isn't a bad thing,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, I would have loved to have done it at this point, but I realize I’ve still got plenty more years to do it. If I were able to do it, I’d join a very small list of golfers in history that have been able to do it. So I know where it would put me in the game and how cool it would be, and I would love to do it one day.”

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Jordan Spieth runs across the tributary to Rae's Creek to the 13th green during his practice round for the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (Curtis ComptonAtlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — AP photographer Matt Slocum knows his way around the bucolic Augusta National Golf Club during the week of the Masters — it’s a difficult task with all the regulations that help preserve the aura of the tournament. So, when he saw the light and clouds combining for a perfect backdrop, he knew exactly where he should go to take some tee shots. He also knew how to stay ahead of the patrons to get to his perfect spot. Here’s what he had to say about making this extraordinary image.

The Masters is one of the most revered tournaments of professional golf — it’s also one of the toughest for photographers and golfers. One of golf’s four majors, it's full of history and tradition; rules and etiquette; joy and pain for both us and them.

Photographers are not allowed “inside the ropes” at the Masters — patrons are kept from the playing areas such as fairways and greens by ropes that mark the course. Being on the players’ side of the ropes give photographers better sight lines and ease of movement. But The Associated Press is lucky to have a good mix of photographers and editors onsite to help cover the tournament. We work together under the direction of David J. Phillip. With his vast Masters knowledge and experience, he guides us around the course as the day progresses and golfers charge up the leaderboard. Teamwork and communication are vital when covering this tournament. It’s tough to navigate the course quickly. You learn the hard way which crosswalks to avoid at peak times. Photographers that work together and are organized will have more success and less frustration overall.

Because we are not allowed inside the ropes, we tend to camp out at strategic spots and then leapfrog around before the crowds get too big. There are a few tee boxes that have access from behind. Patrons at the Masters are very polite and helpful when asked if we can kneel in front of them to get a key shot. By staying low, we don’t block them, and it allows us to emphasize the golfer and clean up the background. Once you find an area or light that is productive, you tend to work it, group after group to make scenic photos. You can vary the exposure and lens you use to add variety — wide, normal and telephoto.

In this case, golfers were teeing off toward the back of the box. I carried a fast, moderate-wide angle lens, a Sony 35mm F/1.4 GM and a Sony A1 mirrorless camera in anticipation of making this kind of photo. We are very lucky Sony is onsite to clean, repair and loan equipment. Not that I ever break anything, but many thanks to Van Nguyen, for replacing something I might have broken. I was shooting on a nearby hole when the clouds started to break and the blue sky appeared. This was my 14th Masters; I knew where to go in my area to line up a golfer with the sky.

I set my camera with the lowest native ISO, 100, to emphasize the dramatic sky. As golfer Rory McIlroy walked up the tee, I placed the camera very low and tried to keep him centered among the trees lining the hole. I just about always shoot at the widest aperture available, in this case F/1.4, to keep the emphasis on McIlroy. I was hunched way over on my knees, straining see the built-in level on the back of the screen. The camera was set to its fastest frame rate, 30 frames per second. I set the fastest shutter speed, 1/32,000th, to freeze all movement. I held the shutter release down for less than a second and made 22 crooked frames of the swing sequence. I picked a few visually pleasing moments to send to my editors Chris Carlson and Darron Cummings. It’s not obnoxiously crooked and has a nice feel, but it’s not perfect. “You can do better,” I hear from a ghost my head.

This photo is unique because of the clouds. There was a storm that delayed the start of the tournament that morning. It was dark and grey for most of the day. The shallow depth of field helps keep your eye focused on Rory. Using a very fast shutter speed helps make the bright areas of the image darker. It brings out the clouds, knocks down the crowd and freezes the golfer’s club at the top of his swing. The clouds are still breaking, framing the golfer and starting to add light on his swing.

For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)