Rory McIlroy

McIlroy, a four-time major winner, has been seeking to complete the career grand-slam with a victory at Augusta ever since winning the Open Championship in 2014 ...

‘It takes a very strong-built person to handle the pressure that those at the upper echelons of golf have to go with. ‘A little bit of the heat will be off McIlroy, although he will still be talked about a lot as people will want to see it happen. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: ‘The one we should be talking about is Rory McIlroy, who has the chance to complete the career grand-slam.

RORY McILROY has been told to follow the Wayne Rooney playbook if he wants to complete the career Grand Slam this week.Top coach Pete Cowen, who works.

“This is the one I haven’t won and this is the one I want to win more than anything else. “And with the Grand Slam as a goal, I have got a chance to do something very few people have ever done. I’m not suggesting Rooney or anyone else would give back all the money they’ve made. “The less you can make it a big deal is the best way to get the best out of yourself. “Yes, it’s beautiful and it’s iconic but the bottom line is it’s just a golf club. “I think Rory has forgotten that a bit and he definitely needs to fall back in love with golf to have the best possible chance of winning at Augusta this week.

McIlroy, who missed the cut at Augusta National Golf Club last year, would become only the sixth player in the modern era to complete golf's career Grand Slam ...

“It’s funny,” he added. “I’m 32 years old with a ton of experience,” he said. "And to me that goes against my nature a little bit, so it is something that I have to really work hard on."

McIlroy, chasing a career Grand Slam and first major title since the PGA Championship in 2014, is six shots behind leader Sungjae Im in Georgia in a tie for ...

"I think I hit 12 fairways and 14 greens and just didn't really get a lot out of the round. I don't really care where I am at on the leaderboard, it doesn't matter. Rory McIlroy: "I don't really care where I am on the leaderboard, it doesn't matter. It's a pretty special place." "I hit the ball well from tee to green in the most part, I am pleased with that [although] I want to work on my putting. I hit the ball well from tee to green in the most part, I am pleased with that";watch The Masters throughout the week exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf, with bonus feeds via red button

THE MASTERS makes its return on Thursday and Rory McIlroy will resume his quest to complete the Grand Slam, eight years on from his last major triumph.

He'll target a more consistent run over the next four days in the hopes of bagging the $2m (£1.5m) top prize, although the hallowed green jacket is the real treasure at stake. Although McIlroy hasn't won a major title since 2014, his general consistency on the Tour in recent years has helped maintain his high-earner status. He also uses and promotes TaylorMade clubs, having signed a 10-year equipment contract with the brand in 2017, which is understood to be worth $100m (£76m).

GOLF superstar Rory McIlroy returns to Augusta this week hoping to finally end his wait for a Masters win. He'll be accompanied by his wife of five years, ...

He'll hope that may be the difference he needs to finally bring the green jacket home. When you don't have children, the Par-3 seems like a bit of an afterthought, and then once kids arrive, it sort of becomes the highlight of the week in a way. He'll be accompanied by his wife of five years, Erica Stoll, who will look to provide a good-luck charm in her partner's bid for success.

All four Irish golfers at Augusta strike confident tone ahead of opening round.

Scottie Scheffler heads in as world number one but any one of five players – Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland or Patrick Cantlay – could potentially leave Sunday night atop the rankings. 12.40 Gary Player (honorary starter), Jack Nicklaus (honorary starter), Tom Watson (honorary starter) A couple of design changes have been made to the course ahead of this latest edition of the tournament. “In my world,” he said, “ I believe I can win . . . it is about getting my head in the right place, about having the right attitude. It looks set to be a wide-open affair. It’s my first Major, a first Masters. I’m excited . . . I always thought it would suit my game. I’m looking forward to it.” Yet, McIlroy is not the only one with eyes on the great prize, the Masters remaining the only Major yet to be claimed by an Irish golfer. I’m ready to go. That is, if he can get off to a strong, even solid, opening round. And if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.” Truly, this 86th edition of the Masters offers the promise of fulfilment.

Sung-jae Im holds a one-shot lead after a five-under-par 67 in the first round of the Masters, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on one-over.

I got really punished for the bad shots." It’s easy to stand here and be disappointed with how that finished [double bogey at 15]. Sung-jae Im holds a one-shot lead after a five-under-par 67 in the first round of the Masters, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on one-over.

Rory McIlroy made a clutch sand save at the last but insisted on looking at the positives after a 73 left him six shots behind leader Sungjae Im in the ...

As for his comments before the start that he was prepared to play "negative" golf, he said: "I thought I did really well. "It was very stress-free for the most part. Overall, again, I wish I could have gotten more out of the round, but it was pretty stress-free out there." The course is in incredible shape with the amount of rain we've had the last couple of days, so looking forward to dry conditions over the next three days." "I'm just pleased that I played well," he said. "I feel like it was the worst I could have shot today," he said. "I feel like I played really, really well. "I don't really care where I'm at on the leaderboard. I hit it to a lot of the middle of the greens and made a lot of easy pars. "If you start well tomorrow, you'll be on the board. So I'm pleased with that." I hit the ball great from tee to green for the most part.

What is there left to say about Tiger Woods? Fourteen months ago, the man was in a car accident that almost cost him at least one of his legs. On Thursday he ...

The pair laughed and the world laughed with them. “I hit 12 fairways and 14 greens and just didn’t really get a lot out of the round. According to stats guru Justin Ray, a whopping 76% of Masters champions were inside the top 10 after the opening round. He wasn‘t bombing his drives, his chipping was a bit iffy, and even that famous stride off the tee didn’t feel the same. Indeed, no one was really talking about McIlroy in the build-up to the tournament. What is there left to say about Tiger Woods? Fourteen months ago, the man was in a car accident that almost cost him at least one of his legs. But his iron play and putting were still sublime, and the way he plotted his way around America’s most hallowed turf flawless. “Well, I heard it land,” the South African quipped. “I’m just pleased that I played well,” he said. “I don’t really care where I’m at on the leaderboard. That’s how quickly the Green Jacket can be snatched away from you here. I hit the ball great from tee to green for the most part.

Rory McIlroy is "encouraged" by his Masters first round despite his late stumbles in a 73 which leaves him six behind leader Im Sung-jae.

Rory McIlroy insisted he was "encouraged" by his first round at the Masters despite shooting a one-over-par 73 that left him six shots behind leader Sungjae ...

So to have the patrons fully out and to have that type of energy out there was awesome to feel." "The fourth hole, I hit a great four iron, I pitched in the hole and it came out and I made par. Probably more comfortable than a lot of times in the first round of a major, so that was nice. "I'm a lot better now than I was seven years ago," he said. "I mean, the place was electric. A 70 would have been a reasonable return for the way I played. "Hopefully that's my bad round out of the way and hopefully I can shoot three better scores than that. some of the guys [fellow players] know. "It's tough because it's playing longer than it did, certainly more than Sunday, Monday, when I played practice rounds. It's a bit unforgivable, but it is what it is." I got really punished for the bad shots. "I feel like it was the worst I could have shot today.