Rory McIlroy would welcome autumn Masters

Rory McIlroy is a Masters victory away from completing a career Grand Slam and given his current form, this year was looking like the ideal time for the world number one to win his very first green jacket.

The Northern Irishman had planned a busy schedule leading up to this year's Masters tournament, but due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we currently don't know if there will even be a Masters this year.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has brought sport to a sudden halt, with the PGA Tour announcing there will be no golf until May, causing the first two majors of the year in the Masters and US PGA Championship to be postponed.

During the summer months, Augusta National traditionally closes its doors, but due to the current health crisis around the world, it has been reported that the iconic golf club could be closing this week.

With that in mind, should the spread of the coronavirus start to slow down over the coming months, there is the possibility of the Masters being played in October once Augusta has reopened and the golf schedule starts its healing process.

Speaking on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, McIlroy welcomed the idea of an autumn Masters: "It gives us some room for maneuvering, depending on what happens over the next few weeks. 

"A Masters in the fall, October time, I think it would be pretty cool. It would be a very different look than what you usually see at Augusta. I think it's definitely a possibility if they want to get the 2020 Masters in, I think that could definitely be a possibility. I'm sure they can make it happen if they want it to happen.

"I like to think that we can get a handle on this over the next sort of couple of months, and things can return to some sort of normality. But I don't think anyone knows, really."