AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Masters should have been the first major Rory McIlroy won.
Now it is the only one he is missing.
Augusta National was thought to be the domain of Tiger Woods when he won four green jackets before turning 30.
Now he is 43, with eight surgeries behind him, so far removed from his last Masters victory that the club has changed chairmen twice since he last won 14 years ago.
McIlroy and Woods are the central figures at the 83rd Masters Tournament, which starts April 11. They share the stage with a cast of characters that gets deeper and stronger every year, so tough that 23 of the last 25 major champions were among the top 25 in the world ranking.