Rory McIlroy's Round-by-Round Predictions for 2015 Masters Tournament

Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 1 golfer, is generating plenty of buzz heading into the 2015 Masters.

The Northern Irishman has claimed victories in the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship, and he needs a win at Augusta National to complete his career Grand Slam. Rest assured, McIlroy knows what's at stake, and he shared his thoughts on the matter during a press conference, via ESPN.com:

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What's at stake? A place in history. I think it's the big thing for me. Six other golfers have won a career Grand Slam. To join that list, you're getting up there with the pinnacle of what you can achieve in sport.

To write your name in the history books like that is what's at stake. That's what will be at stake in future years at Augusta if I don't win it this year, but the sooner I get it out of the way, the better.

"

If McIlroy wins the Masters, he'll be just the seventh golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, following in the footsteps of the legendary Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and, most recently, Tiger Woods.

In fact, a victory at Augusta National would be quite fitting for McIlroy after Nike released this video depicting the passing of the torch from Woods to the current world No. 1:

McIlroy is the favorite to earn the coveted green jacket with 11-2 odds, according to Odds Shark. While that is a good omen, his past performances at Augusta National certainly aren't.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

In six Masters appearances, McIlroy missed one cut and just notched his first top-10 finish in 2014, earning a tie for eighth. He did play extremely well through 54 holes in 2011, accruing a four-shot lead on the final day; however, he squandered away his lead with a horrid round of 80 and finished tied for 15th. That couldn't do well for his confidence.

Still, after his brilliant run late in 2014 in which he won the Open Championship and PGA Championship, we know McIlroy can never be counted out in any major, regardless of past performances. So, what kind of momentum has he built this season?

McIlroy began 2015 with a bang in Europe, earning a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi before winning in Dubai. But his success didn't carry over to American soil, as he missed the cut in the Honda Classic—McIlroy missed just one cut in the entire 2014 season. He did rebound nicely, though, earning a top-10 finish in the WGC-Cadillac Championship before tying for 11th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

In those events, McIlroy tallied a scoring average of 70.498, which is almost a full stroke below the PGA Tour median. He's near the top of the pack in driving distance; however, his driving accuracy is 60 percent, ranking him just under tour average. That number must improve at Augusta National, where a well-placed shot far outweighs a long drive.

Perhaps the best attribute McIlroy's shown during his limited tour appearances this year is his ability to hit greens in regulation. He's averaging 67.22 percent per round, putting him well above the tour average. That's an extremely important stat for a Masters tournament that features treacherous hazards like Rae's Creek in the deadly Amen Corner.

Taking all of that into consideration, we should expect some low numbers from McIlroy at Augusta National this year. His tendency to go low in Round 2 should put him near the top of the leaderboard entering the weekend, and if he can remain consistent thereafter, we could be looking at golf's seventh career Grand Slam.

Round predictions: 70 (-2), 68 (-4), 72 (E), 70 (-2); tournament total: -8