Rory McIlroy backed for Masters victory as Scottie Scheffler makes ominous start

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson all backed Rory McIlroy to win the 89th Masters before Scottie Scheffler made an ominous start to his title defence at Augusta National.

The illustrious trio, with 11 Masters titles between them, hit tee shots on the opening hole before retiring to the clubhouse for their annual press conference.

Asked who they thought would win a coveted green jacket on Sunday, or who they wanted to win, all three nominated world number two McIlroy, who needs to win the Masters to complete a career grand slam.

Nicklaus also revealed that he recently had lunch with McIlroy and gave his seal of approval to the Northern Irishman’s shot-by-shot plan to tackle Augusta National.

“I think it’s about time that Rory won and I sat down with him last week,” Nicklaus said. “I said ‘I know you prepared for Augusta, tell me how you’re going to play the golf course’.

“We went through it shot for shot, we got done with the round, I didn’t open my mouth and I said ‘I wouldn’t change a thing’. That’s exactly the way I would try to play the golf course.

“The discipline to do that is what Rory has lacked in my opinion. He’s got all the shots, he’s got all the game.

“He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game, but if you go back through his history in the last few years he gets to a place and all of a sudden a seven or an eight pops up and that keeps him from getting where he needs to go.”

McIlroy would join Nicklaus, Player, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods in having won all four major titles if he is victorious at the Masters, and Player added: “I hope he does, because it will give golf a great boost to have another winner of the grand slam.”

McIlroy was among the later starters on