GOLF:GOLF COACH and pundit Butch Harmon says Rory McIlroy won't win the US Masters until his short game improves.

Harmon told The Irish Times: "Rory hits the ball from right to left, so that's the good news," suggesting that McIlroy's draw shape off the tee will benefit him on several holes, "but I'm not sure his short game is of the quality of some of the other players."

Harmon, coach of reigning champion Phil Mickelson and the man who helped four-time winner Tiger Woods shape his game to the particular challenges of the Augusta National course, said the same flaw is undermining McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood in his attempts to land his first major championship.

“Lee struggles around the greens – although he was leading going into the final round last year – because his short game lacks imagination.

“To win at Augusta you have to have enormous creativity and imagination.

“When you look at who has been successful historically, (Jack)Nicklaus won six and (Arnold) Palmer won four times, both were great putters.

“You come forward to the modern era and players like (Seve) Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal who won two each, Tiger has won four and Phil has won three. These players all have truly great short games.”

There are few better judges of a player’s suitability to Augusta than Harmon, whose father Claude won the Masters in 1948 and who has been a regular visitor to the event since he was a child.

“Look out for Nick Watney who is playing well and has had two top-10 finishes in recent years around Augusta. Dustin Johnson is another player who could do well next week,” says Harmon.

Unsurprisingly, Harmon likes the chances of his client, Mickelson: “The course sets up well for him, many of the holes suit his eye. He likes to hit a fade off the tee and there’s plenty of room out there.”

And despite his misgivings over McIlroy’s putting, Harmon backs the Ulsterman to win around Augusta at some point in the future: “Rory is a great talent and should one day be Masters champion.”