🏌🏻 Rory's Master Plan

Good morning. Yesterday we asked - Can McIlroy Break His Majors Jinx In 2024? An overwhelming 83% of us voted yes. With much of our confidence in Rory, he’s making a few changes too - we dive deeper into those in our Eagle story today.

Our top Albatross story explores how LIV Golf could be eyeing LPGA next, and our feature Birdie story pitches Jack vs Tiger - the showdown (with an exciting new poll).

That, and a tip on how you can consistently chip from the rough, in today’s edition of Golf Reporter.

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⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1999, David Duval put together one of the best rounds of golf ever at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He made zero bogeys, six pars, eleven birdies, and an eagle on No. 18 to tie the lowest round of golf in PGA history, joining Al Geiberger and Chip Beck as the only men to shoot a 59.

ALBATROSS
LIV Golf Eyeing LPGA

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has hinted that they are planning to expand to women's golf. The idea has faced stern objection from LPGA Tour legend Annika Sorenstam.

Norman previously held discussions with individual LPGA Tour players and Ladies European Tour players. Many female golfers have apparently shown interest in the project but it's not clear when the league will materialize.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Rory’s Master Plan: More Events To Conquer Augusta

Rory McIlroy has made a great start to the season - a T2 finish at the Dubai Invitational and a win at the Dubai Desert Classic. The World No 2 has revealed his plans running up to The Masters and his schedule only gets busier now.

The change of approach is likely a reaction to his performance at the 2023 Masters, when he suffered a rare failure by missing the cut. He is likely to add at least two more events before The Masters.

McIlroy has added a new event to his calendar - the Valero Texas Open, which is scheduled to take place a week before The Masters. Two years ago, McIlroy also participated in the event, his first appearance since 2013. At that time, he stated his reason for participating was to "play my way into the Masters."

McIlroy usually plays six events before traveling to the Augusta National, but this year he's going to play nine.

McIlroy's Current Schedule Before The Masters

Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Feb. 1-4)
The Genesis Invitational (Feb. 15-18)
Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 7-10)
THE PLAYERS Championship (March 14-17)
Valero Texas Open (April 4-7)

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

The Open: Sky Sports has extended its broadcast deal with the R&A and will continue showing The Open at least till 2028. Sky took over the coverage rights from the BBC in 2016.

The Match: Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Max Homa have confirmed their participation in the first mixed edition of 'The Match'. It will be held on February 26 at The Park golf course in West Palm Beach.

Ryder Cup: Luke Donald has reappointed vice-captain Edoardo Molinari to join him for Europe's Ryder Cup defence in 2025 at Bethpage Black. With the help of Molinari, Donald led Europe to an emphatic victory at Marco Simone last October.

Rickie Fowler: Rickie Fowler has become the first big name to commit to the Cognizant Classic. Formerly known as the Honda Classic, the event will be held Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

BIRDIE
Jack Nicklaus vs Tiger Woods: Who Is The G.O.A.T.?

When we talk about the Greatest Golfers of all-time, Nicklaus and Woods sit 1-2 on practically everyone’s list. But, in what order?

Let's take a look what the numbers suggest.

Major Starts
Jack: 104
Tiger: 85

Major Victories
Jack: 18 (winning percentage: 17.3%)
Tiger: 15 (winning percentage 17.6%)

Runner-Up Finishes In Majors
Jack: 19
Tiger: 7

Top-5 Finishes In Majors
Jack: 56 (53.8%)
Tiger: 33 (38.8%)

Majors Missed
Jack: 0
Tiger: 22

DRIVING RANGE
How To Consistently Chip From Deep Rough

One situation that comes in almost any round is hitting a chip shot from the rough. In this video, Todd Kolb shares some quick tips for chipping the ball out of thick grass.