A HIDING THREAT - NO GOLF IS NOT AN ISSUE FOR RORY MCILROY THIS APRIL

Mario Russo

Nearly two dozen wins on Tour. Clinching a top-10 finish in nearly half of his events played. A three-time FedEx Cup champion with a stranglehold on some of golf’s brightest memories.

Despite his career’s lonesome blemish at the season’s opening major, Rory McIlroy is a superstar - a kind of which the sport of golf has rarely seen throughout its unique antiquity. He may not win at a qualitative rate, but what he lacks in numbers, McIlroy doubles down in the quality of play he brings to the course on every other Sunday, and is idolized for it as such.

Yet with such a superiority attached to his name, McIlroy has yet to win an event in the month of April. And no, this isn’t just another dig towards his anguish at Augusta.

It’s merely a fact, one of which is responsible for making the Northern Irishman stronger. Increasingly powerful. An epitomization of response.

One of which being constantly delivered in the loudest of ways.

With his cut from The Masters earlier this month, McIlroy has yet to play a weekend of golf since his third-place matchup against Scottie Scheffler at the final edition of the Dell Technologies Match Play tournament.

That event took place during the final weekend of March, exactly ten days removed from the opening round at Augusta. McIlroy failed to make an appearance this weekend at the Zurich Classic and last week, withdrew from the designated event at Harbour Town. He will not tee off at Vidanta for the Mexican Open later this month either.

Yet McIlroy’s absence isn’t a sign of fatigue or the fresh scar of missing out at his highly anticipated crack at the career grand slam. The 33-year old is reviving his title defense, restoring his image and readying himself for battle.

He is not hiding from It all.

Since joining the Tour in 2010, McIlroy has followed up his Masters appearance by taking a month away from the bright lights in every year he’s played. As a result, McIlroy has failed to hold down a PGA Tour win in the month of April, yet has gone on to win four career majors and a trio of league championships shortly thereafter.

His disappearance shouldnt go unnoticed, but remains a necessary step in McIlroy’s ability to turn on a switch and soar up the league standings as the season progresses. Through his seven events played in 2022-23, McIlroy has garnered a trio of top three finishes, including a victory in South Carolina last October. Despite dropping down to ninth in the FedEx Cup standings since that win, the veteran swinger has countlessly proven a hot streak at any given time is obtainable.

And shares zero correlation with any form of April absences.

His next appearance may very well come at Quail Hollow during the annual Wells Fargo Championship - a site he’s dominated at in recent years as well as won in 2021. Yet no matter where or when the Northern Irishmen reappears, the fact of the matter is that he will shine. Catch fire and torch the competition as he always does.

When McIlroy does get his lonesome win In April, it will cement his name amongst the game’s all-time greats to accomplish similar feats of winning the career grand slam. Despite having to wait another year for a shot at history, McIlroy’s spring drought will continue to power him forward this season and keep him hungry heading into the next.

April showers bring May flowers, and that’s exactly what McIlroy banks on the most.