“Augusta Is Still A Long Way Away”: Rory McIlroy Makes an Honest Confession About His Winning Chances at the Masters Tournament

Rory McIlroy just clinched victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic! With this win, the 34-year-old has successfully defended his title. The Irish golfer made par at the last to card a two-under 70, finishing on 14 under after four rounds to win the tournament. This victory was a record fourth time for the golfer at the same event.

Despite the win, he thinks he has a long way to go towards winning a Masters at Augusta National. This confession of his came out during the press conference of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic after the final round. When asked what difference the win in Dubai makes to his mindset, the 34-year-old was honest about his approach.

He said, “I think, look, Augusta is still a long way away in golfing terms. A lot can change in 2 1/2 months. But it’s always nice to get a win.” The Irish golfer stated he is now focusing on other big events before the Masters at Augusta National and also shed light on the learnings he has had since 2023 Masters.

Rory McIlroy is trying to improve his mindset along with his gameplay

While he is focusing on other upcoming tournaments, the 34-year-old is still learning from his past events. He feels now he has to execute rather than prepare to clinch a win at the Masters at Augusta National. Recounting his experience from last year at the Masters, the Northern Irishman believes he has learned a lot about himself.

He said one instance that helped him boost his morale was when he was ten points behind on a Friday against Brooks Koepka. He was still on the first green while Koepka was at the eighth green, and as he saw the leaderboard, he saw that he was 10 behind. While he was let down by that situation last year, he found himself in a similar situation this year and rose to the occasion.

“I was ten behind after two days this week and ended up winning the [Dubai Desert Classic] golf tournament. That’s massive. I feel like I’ve taken that learning already and put it into practise a little bit already. Yeah, that’s a huge thing for me.” said McIlroy. The Irish golfer believes he has taken the learnings from his encounter with Koepka and utilized them in Dubai.

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Now he is hoping to do the same level of preparation for the Masters. From the first week of April, Rory McIlroy is starting to mentally prepare for the big showdown. What do you think about his strategy to win at the Masters? Let us know in the comments section below.

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