After what he says was a solid third-placed finish at the Valero Texas Open, Rory McIlroy has made discipline and controlling his emotions his big focus for The Masters.
McIlroy will again bid to complete the career Grand Slam at Augusta National this week, and after getting some guidance from Butch Harmon feels his game is in good shape.
The Northern Irishman carded a six-under round of 66 on Sunday to send him off down Magnolia Lane feeling a lot better about his game than a few weeks ago.
“Good to get a round like that under the belt heading into next week,” was McIlroy’s post-round assessment, as he now looks forward to The Masters.
And he obviously feels his work with Harmon has done the trick with his game feeling sharper as he tries to eliminate the big errors and big numbers that have plagued him of late.
“I definitely feel like I’m in a better place than I was a few weeks ago,” said McIlroy.
“Through the Florida swing there was just a lot of volatility in my game, some good, some bad, quite a few big numbers, so just trying to tidy that up.
“For me, I’m always going to be able to hit good shots, it’s just how bad the bad ones are, and this week the bad ones were still in play and no too bad, and I was able to scramble well enough when I did hit a few poor ones.
“Again, overall much more pleased with where my game is compared to two or three weeks ago.”
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Being the first Major of the year always makes The Masters a more high-pressure environment, but with McIlroy also going for the Grand Slam it adds an even bigger layer for him.
And the four-time Major winner knows that controlling those emotions will be just as key for him in his quest to win the Green Jacket.
“Control of myself, control of my emotions and my thoughts,” Mcilroy said when asked what his focus was at Augusta.
“If I can control those, it makes the physical control of everything a lot easier and a lot more simple.
“Just to me next week is all about discipline, about staying in control of yourself and in control of what you can control. If I can do that well, then the rest will follow.”
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