Rory McIlroy is leading at Augusta with a score of 12-under-132 after two rounds. But have you wondered how a player can be leading the Masters while simultaneously ranking near the very bottom of the field in a key metric?

Taking to X, the famed golf analyst Jason Sobel revealed some intriguing number play revolving around the stats for the Masters. If we look at the ranking for driving accuracy, McIlroy stands in 90th place. He’s only ahead of Davis Riley, who’s coincidentally ranking at 91 on the leaderboard and has missed the cut.

While McIlroy’s season-long driving accuracy of 60.20% (61st on Tour) is a concern, it’s offset by his elite distance (315.5 yards) and a No. 1 ranking in SG: Off the Tee, creating a high-risk, high-reward style that was on full display at Augusta.

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At the Masters, we all saw the world number two struggle with the drive on the 17th on Friday. He hit the shot in the trees. But that was also a hole that showcased McIlroy’s superior iron and wedge game. Any average golfer would have played it short and put the ball to the right of the green. However, McIlroy decided to chip it. And he did it successfully, covering 30 yards and gaining a five-shot lead. 

Even on the final hole in the second round, Rory McIlroy hit the ball a bit to the right, and it landed away from the fairway. But he hit the approach closer to the pin and then ended the round with his sixth birdie for the day. 

One of the reasons behind his poor driving can be attributed to his recent lower back muscle spasms. He had to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational because of it. And that even affected his stance at THE PLAYERS Championship, where he finished at T46. Well, McIlroy didn’t have any tears in his muscles or suffer any spinal problems.

Another aspect is the nerves at Masters. He said his hands shook when he tried to tee off in the first round. Of course, he was trying to land in the fairway in all of his shots. But he found success in only five out of the 14 fairways in the first round and seven in the second.

Rory McIlroy said, “I was hitting out of the trees a lot in the first seven holes and then started to string some good swings together from the eighth hole onwards. I settled into the round nicely, even when I wasn’t hitting fairways. I was trying to just get it up around the green and rely on my short game to get it up-and-down and move on.”

But how did he manage to lead the field despite having a poor driving game? McIlroy had an answer ready for that.

Rory McIlroy Weighs in on his Chipping and Putting at Augusta

Reflecting on the stylish 30-yard chip-in for a birdie on the 17th, McIlroy said, “I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks. And that’s been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself, and just trying to figure it out. I think just spending so much time up here has been a big part of it.”

Augusta National certainly demands accuracy to lead the field. With its slippery pine straw, deep bunkers, and glass-like greens, keeping the ball in the short grass is usually step one for anyone hoping to slip on a green jacket. Despite not topping the driving accuracy list, McIlroy has demonstrated exceptional skills with his irons and wedges.

In the SG/tee-to-green list, he ranks in fourth position. Plus, his putting skills are far more accurate, but can he maintain this accuracy in the weekend games?