1 week Ago By Felix Keith
Rory McIlroy admits comments from the likes of Tiger Woods didn't help him as he chased down a career Grand Slam. Despite the sweet taste of redemption after winning the Masters, McIlroy opened up about the immense pressure of expectations set by greats including Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson. The Northern Irishman reflected on their well-meant opinions, stating, "It's tough.
You know, you've had Jack, Gary, Tom, Tiger, you name it, come through here, and all say that I'll win the Masters one day. That's a hard load to carry, especially – it is. It really is.
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"But, you know, I think as well, as the years have went on, I've just become more accustomed to the noise that sort of surrounds my whole Masters week and I've become a little more comfortable with it. After securing the other three major golf titles by 2014, McIlroy finally completed his Grand Slam quest at Augusta, becoming the first European to join the elite club of six. He admitted the pressure has been intense since his near-miss in 2014: "It's very difficult.
I think I've carried that burden since August 2014. It's nearly 11 years," he said. "Yeah, it's been difficult, and I've tried to approach this tournament with the most positive attitude each and every time that I've shown up, and I think just the sort of cumulative experience that I've gained coming back here each and every year, I just I feel like I get a little more comfortable with the shot needed.
'I talked about it at the start of the week, but you know, there's talking about it and actually doing it. And yeah, today was difficult. I was unbelievably nervous this morning.
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