Rory McIlroy has explained how scouting trips to Augusta National in the weeks leading up to the Masters have played a significant role in his domination of staging of the major. McIlroy’s second round of 65 – which included six birdies in the closing seven holes – set a Masters record, with the defending champion the first man to lead the tournament by six at the halfway point.
Entering the Masters, it was assumed McIlroy’s three-week break from PGA Tour business was to conserve energy. Instead, he made smart use of his private jet as he looks to become just the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters titles.
“I honestly just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” said McIlroy with only half a smile. “I’d rather come up here. I did a couple of days where I dropped [daughter] Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with Poppy and [wife] Erica. I did a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. It wasn’t really about conserving energy, but just I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better.
“I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks. That has been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out. I think just spending so much time up here has been a big part of it.”
McIlroy insisted the margin of his advantage will not play a big part in his psychology from round three. He will have Sam Burns for company on Saturday with Patrick Reed and Justin Rose in the penultimate group.
“Look, I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point,” he added. “I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.
“I just want to go out and play two good rounds again. Obviously this golf course has certain characteristics that guys can get on runs, guys can make eagles, you hear roars all over the golf course.
“I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself. It’s hard to avoid those big leaderboards out there but I know that I’ve got a lead. I don’t need to keep checking it all the time. So for me, just really focusing on myself and staying in my own little world out there is the best thing.”
McIlroy denied the sense he appears intimidating to other golfers. “No, that’s not me,” he said. “That’s not what I want to do. Honestly, I don’t care. Golf is the most amazing game because it’s you and your golf ball and the golf course and that’s it. You shouldn’t be affected by anyone else.”
