Rory McIlroy walked off Augusta National last April wearing a green jacket and a grin that said "11 years, finally." I watched the trophy ceremony thinking: this changes everything for him. Twelve months later, I'm not so sure. McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with back spasms, limped to a T46 at the Players Championship, and arrives at the 90th Masters as the defending champion nobody's picking to repeat. The bookmakers have Scottie Scheffler at +500. McIlroy sits at +1000. That gap tells you something.
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Can Rory McIlroy Defend His Masters Title With a Dodgy Back and Scheffler Lurking?
McIlroy arrives at Augusta as the defending champion nobody's picking to repeat. Bookmakers have Scheffler at +500 and McIlroy at +1000. That gap tells you something about the back injury, the field depth, and the brutal 1.7% base rate for back-to-back Masters titles.
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