McIlroy sets sights on Masters glory

Rory McIlroy admits he is finding it increasingly difficult to complete the career Grand Slam but he feels he is good enough to win the Masters.

After winning three of the four golf majors, McIlroy just needs to a Masters victory to become the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam.

He has gone close to securing the coveted Green Jacket with a fourth-place finish in 2015 before tying for tenth last year, while he held a four-shot lead going into the final round in 2011 only to card a closing 80 to drop out of contention.

This will be his third attempt at completing the slam but the 27-year-old admits he is already feeling the pressure.

“It’s a motivation, to be able to put your name alongside those five guys. But I think each and every year that passes that I don’t, it will become increasingly more difficult," McIlroy told augusta.com

"I sort of feel a little bit like what Phil (Mickelson) goes through when he goes to the US Open, but at the same time I haven’t finished second at Augusta six times and he’s finished second (that many times in the US Open). So I can only imagine what goes through his head when he turns up at a US Open.

"But, yeah, winning Augusta is difficult enough, but I think that’s the most important thing, like you want to win the tournament that week, you just want to beat the guys that you’re playing against and if you do that, you know that all this other great stuff comes along with it.”

“I feel like I’m a good enough player; I feel like I’ve got everything I need to become a Masters champion. It’s the biggest tournament of the year for me, for obvious reasons, and I’ve never made any secret about that. I’m very open about that. It is.”

McIlroy knows what it takes it win in America with 13 wins on the PGA Tour and he believes he has the game to conquer Augusta National, providing he adopts the right mindset before the tournament.

“I’m playing against the same guys that I’ve beaten before at the biggest tournaments in the world and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to do it again,” he said.

“So that’s my mind-set going into it. If I can keep that mind-set and try to just keep it as simple as possible, and keep it fun, I think that’s the thing as well, if I can keep it somewhat fun: you’re going and playing Augusta, you’re getting to play Augusta, you’re getting to play at least six rounds around there. Who else gets to do that? That’s pretty cool in itself.” 

The Masters will be live on eir Sport, beginning with the Par 3 contest from Augusta National. Coverage of the tournament begins on Wednesday at 8pm