Rory McIlroy’s two-shot triumph at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the opening weekend of February has seen a shift in the odds for the Masters in April.

Notably, it was McIlroy’s strategy of guiding the ball around the fairways on the cliffs of Carmel Bay—rather than trying to overpower the layout—that has seen the Northern Irishman’s odds of winning that elusive green jacket shorten.

McIlroy Trending Towards Greatness? 

With two months to go before the world’s best drive up Magnolia Lane, McIlroy is now 7/1 in the latest Masters odds to win at Augusta which is down from 9/1 before the Pebble Beach Pro-Am began.

Of course, these odds don’t make McIlroy the man to beat at Augusta given that if you are betting on golf, you’ll see Scottie Scheffler remains the overwhelming favorite at 4/1.

However, McIlroy’s performance at Pebble Beach has raised whether his measured approach can help him win the Masters on his 17th attempt and, crucially, beat world number one Scheffler who has won the green jacket twice in the last three years.

Less is More

What was most evident from McIlroy’s victory at Pebble Beach was his decision to take a longer club from the fairway. By opting for a gentler swing, the Northern Irishman remained in control of his timing and the elements—something that proved useful during the third round when the wind off the Pacific Ocean picked up.

McIlroy’s careful approach wasn’t limited to just the fairway either as the 35-year-old kept his driver in the bag on holes four, 11, 15, and the 541-yard par five 18th. In the end, this uncharacteristic strategy was enough for McIlroy to record an overall score of -21 and win by two shots, with Irishman Shane Lowry stranded in second place on -19 after 72 holes.

More crucially, McIlroy’s total was more than enough to beat Scheffler who could only muster a share of ninth after carding -15. So, is this a sign of things to come at the Masters?

By his own admission, McIlroy will probably tell you that it isn’t given his revealing comments after winning at Pebble Beach where he suggested that his biggest battle was not with a club in hand but rather between the ears. Specifically, McIlroy said: “The mental side of it is probably the biggest barrier between me being good and being great.”

The greatness McIlroy alludes to is undoubtedly becoming only the sixth man in history to win the Grand Slam. Taking those final steps, however, means winning the Masters which the 35-year-old hasn’t achieved in 16 attempts.

We've recently seen that one way of overcoming this pressure might be to avoid throwing caution to the wind by adopting more conservative course management as risks are eliminated. In turn, this should help McIlroy play within himself and not get caught up in the decisions of his playing partners or the pressure from the leaderboard. 

What this game plan still doesn’t do, though, is remove the crippling internal desire to be considered a great of the sport. 

This is where Scheffler differs, as the American believes his faith defines him, not his legacy on the golf course.

The Weight of Expectation 

While this worldview might be put under greater scrutiny when Scheffler, like McIlroy, stands on the precipice of greatness and only needs one more major win for the Grand Slam, the 28-year-old does, for now at least, appear to be unaffected by pressure because of it.

This unprecedented composure is, after all, why Scheffler has been the world number one for the past 89 weeks. The simple truth is that winning the Masters doesn’t haunt Scheffler like it does McIlroy and no amount of course management can change that.