Rory McIlroy would 'love to win Masters' and has learned from past mistakes as he sets sights on Green Jacket

The Northern Ireland player has won every major tournament except the Masters as the Green Jacket continues to elude him.

However, McIlroy believes a change of mindset has boosted his prospects of finally completing the majors set.

“I’d love to win the Masters – it’s the only major that I haven’t won,” he said.

“St Andrew’s is where the game started, but Augusta has become this cathedral of golf in some way, and all the greats of the game have won there in the past.

“It’s the only major that we go back to each and every year on the same golf course. It seems like it gets bigger and bigger every year, and it’s the first major of the year too – it’s more hyped up.

“At Augusta too, I sometimes do things I wouldn’t normally do because of what it is and the pressure, and I’m completely open about that – I think I need to embrace it rather than shutting away from it.

“Every time you go back, you learn something different – I’ve had my chances at Augusta before, and every year I take that little bit and try and put it into the next year. After 14 or 15 years of it, you think it’s time to get this done,” added McIlroy, who was speaking to Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast.

“I was four ahead going into the last day in 2011, and I was one ahead going into the back nine. I was in the final group in 2018, with Patrick Reed. I finished second to Scottie [Scheffler] last year, but I started a long way behind and had a good last day.”

McIlroy feels that mental toughness is key to winning at Augusta, admitting that the special atmosphere around the course can have a detrimental effect on a players’ focus.

“That year [2011], Charl Schwartzel won – he birdied the first and second and eagled the third,” added the world number two.

“I’m starting off and that four-shot lead has gone. You just have to be mentally good to snap out of that or refocus back into what you’re doing.

“If you’ve been to Augusta, you can hear the roars and hear everything happening, and you know that’s different than a lot of other golf courses.”