Rory McIlroy will have revenge on his mind when he tees up at Augusta National next Thursday a year on from being on the wrong end of a Masters mauling. Leading by four shots going into Sunday’s final round shoot-out and seemingly on the way to his first Major title at the age of 21, the Irishman was consumed by a tumultous metldown that left him in tears. When the dust had settled, McIlroy had fired an 80 and slumped down the standings to a tie for 15th place as South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel swooped in under the radar to steal the prize.
Many at the time wondered what the long-term effect would me on McIlroy of that golfing collapse, but famously he came out eight weeks later to win the US Open by eight shots and since then he has assumed the world number one ranking albeit for just two weeks. McIlroy, currently second behind Luke Donald, believes that ultimately, he may even benefit from the learning experience of letting such a big lead on such a big occasion slip away. “Last year’s Masters was definitely a defining moment for me,” he told europeantour.com. “It could have been a crossroads in my career.
